Broken Family
by Night's Darkness
Summary: Set just after Broken Mirrors, T'pol goes to tell Shran of Soval, their son, unsure of what will happen, while Archer and the others get a lesson in Andorian culture. Chp 18 Final chapter! Three captains and three couples discuss the coming year.
1. Chapter 1

Ok! This is the third part of the Mirrors Series… wow, I have a series! O.O It's all about Shran and T'Pol and Soval! Plus a heavy dose of Andorian culture that I've made up. Lol! Enjoy! And don't forget, reviews make me update faster! ;)

* * *

**Chapter 1**

"Captain's personal log, October 12th 2151. We're less than an hour away from Andoria. T'Pol's getting nervous I think, she's distracted a lot, although that could be because she's exhausted from learning how to care for Soval this past week. I'm feeling a little anxious myself; I really couldn't guess how Shran will react. He could take this brilliantly or not take it at all. I'm hoping he'll take it well, Soval needs a father and Shran, by a technicality, is his biological father. Oh he's gonna love this." Archer sighed and ended the recording there before dropping his head into his hands. "This is gonna be hell." he half grunted.

Porthos gave a soft whine of sympathy. He reached out and ruffled the short silky fur of the dog. "I guess I need to go to breakfast." he said once more out loud. He then realised what he was doing and quickly headed to the captain's private mess. T'Pol was already there, awkwardly setting Soval into the makeshift high chair that Trip had made for him. Despite it having been four days since T'Pol had brought Soval aboard and had done this and many other things like feeding and changing diapers several times a day, it was obvious she was still uncomfortable with the child. The crew was also having trouble getting used to him as well, especially at night when the residents on C-deck were all disturbed by the screams coming from T'Pol's quarters. Soval wasn't doing very well adjusting to his new life. It was too strange, and too different for a traumatised baby to handle. He no longer found comfort in T'Pol's appearance; he wanted the mental connection between parent and child back. T'Pol was at a loss of how to give him this. Their only real hope was that Shran would be able to show her how to form the bond, that is, if he even saw Soval.

"Morning T'Pol." Archer greeted as he entered.

"Good morning." she answered half distracted as she tried to settle Soval into the chair. He was having none of it. He squawked and stretched and pushed away from the seat. T'Pol was having difficulty holding onto him.

"Here let me help." Archer offered and he put his hands under Soval, supporting his back so T'Pol could rearrange her grip. This made Soval begin to scream. He must have massive lungs to be able to produce that kind of noise as it felt like the walls were shaking with it. His fists were clenched, his little face was scrunched up and his antennas were flying around before coming to rest on the back of his head. Archer fought a sigh,

'_This kid is so like his father.'_ he thought to himself, Shran would always kick up a fuss if he was in the mood; he seemed to enjoy making things difficult. It then occurred to him that he was thinking of the Shran from this universe. Soval's father was from an alternate universe, and he'd been calm, collected and wise. Archer resisted the urge to shake his head, lest T'Pol misinterpret it, to clear his thoughts.

"I think he wants you to hold him." he said over the screams.

"I must concur." she said equally loud. She resettled the boy in her arms and sat down before her plate. She rocked the baby, trying to quiet him, but to no avail. His face was turning a deep aquamarine and his cries reached a new pitch. As Archer was about to suggest a bottle the door behind him opened and a crewman bearing a tray entered. On the tray, among other things was a bottle full of the formula that T'Pol had brought with her. The crewman held out the tray and T'Pol nearly snatched it in her desperation to sooth the child. She popped it in his mouth and he began to suck at once, silence descended much to the relief of all. The crewman smiled at her and then set down a bowl of plomeek soup, and a smaller bowl of pureed plomeek root in front of it. He then put a plate of pancakes in front of Archer's chair. Archer nodded in thanks and then began to eat his meal.

"Are you nervous about telling him?" T'Pol looked up from watching Soval feed and after a hesitation said

"I am… anxious. He has made his feelings about Vulcans quite clear."

"Yeah, five years ago, he's changed T'Pol, you know that, I know you do. Think of the Shran we met at P'jem, and then think of the man we dealt with last time we met. You can't deny he's not half as aggressive towards Vulcans."

"Perhaps, but I am concerned he will not want anything to do with him. Soval should have his father, even if it is through a mere technicality that Shran is he."

"He's gonna have a real problem getting his head around this, I know I do, and Soval's not mine." Archer blushed as the words left his mouth, they didn't sound right at all. T'Pol twitched an eyebrow, she seemed amused by his words. He coughed lightly and stuffed his mouth with pancake to save his dignity.

* * *

"We're entering orbit now sir." Travis informed him.

"Thank you Travis."

"We're being hailed." Hoshi piped up as her consol chirruped at her. Archer took in a deep breath, and shared a look with T'Pol who gave him a brief nod. Soval was with Phlox, taking a nap, they thought it best to tell Shran first before letting him see the child.

"On screen Hoshi." She complied and an Andorian man appeared on the screen, sitting behind a desk. He had a uniform on that Archer was fairly sure was a government uniform of high level. There was something familiar about his gaze.

"I'm Captain Jonathon Archer of the Starship-"

"Enterprise." cut in the man with a small smirk. "Yes I know who you are."

"Then you have the advantage."

"My name is Sanakral. To what does Andorian owe this pleasure?"

"Actually it's of a personal nature. I need to speak with Commander Shran, in person. Could you be so kind as to put me through to him."

"_Commander_ _Shran_," he said this with an amused face, "is at present no doubt sound asleep, it is early enough in the morning where he lives captain."

"Oh." Archer gave him a sheepish look. "I didn't realise."

"Never mind." Sanakral said with a smile. "Is this urgent?"

"Well I suppose in a way it is."

"Then beam down to these co-ordinates and I shall meet you there and bring you to him."

"Now?"

"Yes."

"But you said it was very early."

"Maybe, but I do not mind waking my baby brother, if anything I love any excuse to do it." Now Sanakral was grinning mischievously, and Archer realised why he looked so familiar. His eyes were the exact same as Shran's.

"There's really no need-"

"I shall see you in a moment captain." And with that he closed the channel. Trip sniggered from behind his consol.

"Shran is gonna kill you."

"I know, I know." Archer moaned. He then turned to T'Pol, "Ready to go?" She drew in a breath and then nodded, standing gracefully and following him into the turbo lift. They were silent as they descended, both shifting slightly on their feet. They were equally silent as they went to their respective quarters to don coats and gloves and warm clothes in general. When they met again at the transporter pad, T'Pol said

"Thank you captain, for assisting me."

"Hey, what else are friends for." he chuckled, feeling bashful. They stepped onto the pad and they beamed down to the surface.

* * *

Archer winced as his face was hit by a burst of freezing wind. He pulled his jacket up higher to cover his chin and cheeks. He muttered choice words about the cold before he looked around. He had to admit that Andoria still held its mystical beauty, reminding him of winter wonderlands and the stories of the Ice Queen and other things like that. The gas giant, Archer could never remember the name even though Shran had told him before, loomed overhead in the dark sky, displaying its majestic beauty and proud rings. The moons hovered around it, seemingly still in the darkness. The land before him was covered in white and blue, catching the moonlight and reflecting it like billions of diamonds and crystals, matching the stars up above.

"I always think Andoria is a very beautiful place." he told T'Pol as he pulled his hood up as his ears began to hurt from the cold already.

"It is aesthetically pleasing." she agreed, also pulling up her hood.

"Captain!" called a voice. They both turned to see Sanakral hurrying to them. Unlike they, who had dressed with many layers, he was dressed in what seemed to be a single layer of fur and silk over his uniform. He stopped as he reached them and held out his hand, "I'm told this is your customary way of greeting." Archer smiled and gripped the hand in his own. Sanakral had a very strong grip, very like Shran's actually. "Welcome to Andoria."

"Thanks, it's nice to be here again under less pressing matters." Sanakral chuckled and then turned his attention to T'Pol. "This is Commander T'Pol, my first officer." Archer introduced. Sanakral looked her up and down curiously and then nodded to her in greeting saying

"Nice to meet you as well Commander, my brother was right, you are attractive, for a Vul- non blue skin." he caught himself and smiled at her brightly. T'Pol raised an eyebrow,

"Thank you."

"My brother also said you are a competent scientist, and believe me, that is very high praise for him." Archer fought the urge to roll his eyes; he could believe him.

"Thank you." T'Pol repeated, "Your brother is a very honourable man, and a competent Commander." Sanakral grinned broadly at her and then said

"Well we don't have all day I suppose. Come on, let's go find that baby brother of mine." Archer shook his head, smiling as he followed Sanakral. He led them to an automated transport station. There was a little activity but it was relatively quiet. Sanakral motioned for them to join him on a free pad; it was like an elevator Archer noted, with glass walls all around to allow a view. Sanakral pressed the button and the elevator began its descent. "So may I ask what this personal issue is with my brother?"

"You may, however it is best we discuss it with Shran before we do anything else." T'Pol answered. Sanakral seemed surprised she was answering him.

"I suppose he'll tell us eventually. He always does." he said finally, shrugging. Archer was only half listening; he was staring out at the beautiful city below them. It was a little like the Aenar city, only it was brighter, and bigger, the cave itself made of ice. Many buildings were suspended in the air, attached to natural pillars, with bridges between buildings. He could see a few people walking around and on the bottom of this massive cave was what looked like a park. Trees and bushes and what may have been blue grass all spread out below him. He wondered how they'd managed that. He noticed that in contrast to human cities, which were full of lines and corners, this city was full of curves and circles, a nice change. There was ice and snow everywhere. He hoped he'd get a chance to explore the city a bit, maybe find somewhere to purchase some Andorian Ale, he'd given his last bottle to the alternate Shran, or Thy'lek as Archer was more likely to call him. "Like it?" Sanakral asked as the elevator slowed its descent and came to a halt.

"It's very beautiful." Archer answered truthfully. T'Pol nodded her head in agreement. The door opened and they stepped out.

"Do we not have to check in with your government to announce our presence?" T'Pol wondered. Sanakral chuckled and waved his hand in the air to dismiss the question,

"Nah! Not as long as you're with me. I'm one of the heads of government, I answer directly to the Emperor. I gave you permission to come down, that's all you need." Archer regarded him in surprise, he hadn't expected that at all even though he'd recognised the uniform.

"I thought Andoria was a democratic planet."

"We are, the Imperial Family is more symbolic than political, but to say you answer directly to the Emperor means you are a high ranking government official." Sanakral smirked.

'_That smirk has to be genetic.'_ Archer decided, it was just like Shran's.

"What is your occupation specifically?" T'Pol wondered.

"I'm head of the education department. It's my job to make sure our schools are continuously at their best, which they always are. No school better than an Andorian one."

'_Ok, even Shran doesn't brag that much.'_ Archer shook his head behind Sanakral to stop the sarcastic thoughts.

"Here we are. This is our family house." That had no impact on Archer or T'Pol, since neither knew what a family house could mean. Still it was an attractive building. Relatively large, with a small, elegant artificial garden in the front, that held real vines of closed flowers that climbed up the metal walls. The shape of the house and door and windows was rounded, like the rest of the city, and all of it was silver in colour, although Archer didn't know what the name of the metal was. If he was honest with himself, with the shape and being only one story tall, he had in his mind an image of a futuristic Fred Flintstone's house. There were no lights on, which made sense since it was still very early morning. Sanakral strode forward and unlocked the door, entering and gesturing for them to do the same. Hesitantly they did and Sanakral switched on some lights, illuminating what was clearly a living room.

It was neat and tidy. The walls were white with elegant spiral designs around the borders in silver, blue, purple, yellow and a hint of red, adding a dash of colour to the otherwise pale room. There were two large couches, with fur covers and cushions, facing each other in the centre of the room. Leather armchairs were set near these couches, suggesting a large gathering was commonplace. On the walls and shelves hanging from the walls were pictures of many people, no doubt family and friends. There were paintings and drawings, some were children's doodles while others were far more impressive. A few Ushaan-tors hung on the walls along with some wicked looking swords and a bath'leth? Where'd he get that? There were a few potted plants with sweet smelling purple flowers that permeated the room lightly. There were also what looked like two musical instruments hanging from the wall. A modern sparkling kitchen was cut off from the living area by something reminiscent of a breakfast bar. There were also about seven doors surrounding them, all shut. Two doors were made of clear glass that was frosted around the edge, led to a large artificial garden, covered in blue grass, with a few trees and plants growing within. A railing surrounded this, and the garden had a full view of the city that curved around the rock, fused to it like it was a part of it.

"You two wait here. I'll get Thy'lek." Sanakral said softly, grinning mischievously. He walked to a door that was furthest away from the front door, and opened it carefully. "Thy'lek? Thy'lek, wake up."

"Ngh!" came the responding moan. There was loud rustling of sheets and blankets and then they stilled. Sanakral smiled and stepped into the room more, although the light spilling from the living room kept him visible to Archer and T'Pol.

"Get up you lazy brute." he called insistently.

"Nu uh, nnn!" was Shran's answer and there was a light 'thunk', as if he'd thrown something light at his brother half-heartedly. More likely half-sleepily.

"Up! Now!"

"Nnn go away Lissiel!" Shran groaned.

"Do I sound female to you? Am I jumping on your head?" Sanakral disappeared into the dark room and they could hear more rustling and a surprised, wordless exclamation and then a 'thump'. "Get up now. Sleeping in every day is such a waste." Shran spoke, sounding much more alert,

"First off, ow. Second, this is the first time I've had a chance to sleep in in months and since it's 0834 you've actually woken me up at a cruel hour and thirdly if you don't mind I'm going back to the bed you just dragged me out of."

"Oh no you don't, you have guests."

"Did you let them in?"

"Yes."

"Then you deal with them."

"They want to talk to you, and you only."

"Then tell them to come back at a reasonable hour." Shran's voice was now fairly muffled, as if he was burying it into his pillow, which seemed like quite a possibility.

"Come on baby brother, get your backside into action, your pink-skin and Vulcan didn't travel light years to hear you moan about a few missed hours of sleep."

"A few? I was up most of the night being driven mad by the noises from Lissiel's room. She needs to start going to these peoples' houses, I need to sleep and- did you say pink-skin?"

"I did. Took you long enough."

"As in pink-skin, Archer, and T'Pol? Here. In our house?"

"Yes, yes, and yes!"

"Oh I don't believe this." Shran exclaimed, "You're not joking are you San?"

"Nope, sorry baby brother." There was more rustling and a triumphant Sanakral came out, followed by a much slower, sleepy, half naked Shran.

He was dressed in simple plain, white bottoms, rather like tracksuit bottoms, and his upper half was devoid of any clothing. His antennas were drooping as if they too were sleepy and his hair, which had grown out a bit since they'd last seen him, was messy. Shran yawned like a lion, leaning his head back and then shaking it lightly, blinking tiredly. He focused on them and sighed wearily.

"This had better be good." He told them calmly, leaning against the frame of his door, loosely crossing one leg over the other and folding his arms over his chests in a relaxed manner. "And I mean really good." Despite his irritated words, Archer could tell he wasn't overly upset, at least not anymore, he seemed actually quite happy to see them, but typical of him, he hid it under irritation.

"This is important." T'Pol said quickly, "But I think it's best if we discuss this in private."

"That's your queue to leave San." Shran said to his brother lightly. Sanakral pouted slightly and then shrugged.

"Alright. Oh and will you tell Lissiel it's her turn."

"Will do, when she wakes up. She had a busy night." Shran grimaced as he spoke.

"Ever heard of ear plugs Thy'lek?" Sanakral asked lightly.

"You know I don't like anything in my ears." Shran said this so seriously Archer wasn't sure if he was joking or not. Sanakral rolled his eyes at him and ruffled his messy hair like he was a child. Shran scowled like a boy, an expression that just looked wrong on him.

"I guess I'm gone. Nice to meet you two, I hope we can meet again." Sanakral gave them a lazy two-fingered salute and a smile before walking out. Shran motioned to the couches.

"Please sit down. I'm just going to get a shirt." and he stepped back into his room, but he switched on the lights before closing the door. Archer and T'Pol both sat down, T'Pol a little more hesitant, clearly not pleased to be sitting on animal skins. A minute later Shran came back out, pulling a simple t-shirt over his head as he walked. He then plopped himself down on the couch opposite them and leaned his elbows on his knees. "So, what in the name of all the spirits is so important that you had to come all this way, and get me up at ridiculous hours? Is it the Romulans again?"

"No, it's nothing like that." Archer assured him.

"Earth hasn't been threatened again?"

"No."

"Negotiations haven't fallen through?"

"No."

"Then what the hell is it?" Shran asked irritated. Archer and T'Pol shared a look and he gave her a nod of encouragement. Shran watched them suspiciously, his eyes narrowed and his antennas slinked forwards as if he was trying to pick up any kind of deception. T'Pol licked her lips and began to speak.

"I have something to tell you, but you must understand I did not do it to cause you any trouble or pain." Shran sat up a little straighter. "A few days ago, we were pulled into an anomaly, that took Enterprise to an alternate reality."

"What's that?"

"It's a reality a bit like our universe, but different. Same people, just different situations." Archer explained trying to keep it simple.

"So in this reality there was another Archer?"

"There was, but uh, he was killed before we arrived."

"Really?"

"Yes, by you. Or rather the other you."

"ME!" Shran exclaimed sharply, before lowering his voice, "Me? Another me killed another you?"

"Actually you had a hand in killing my whole senior staff, except T'Pol."

"Why did I kill all the humans?" To Archer the question Shran really wanted to ask was why he didn't kill T'Pol. This could get ugly very fast if they didn't find a way of keeping things calm.

"Well, you see, in this alternate universe, there was this Empire that had enslaved many species, Vulcans and Andorians included. The empire was run by humans." Shran sat back, looking a little winded.

"Humans?"

"Well we're called Terrans over there."

"So you're telling me that you were pulled into an alternate universe where there was an enslaving Empire, run by humans, and what? Andorians were slaves to this empire?"

"Along with Vulcans, and Denobulans, Orions, Tellerites, and a lot of other species too." Shran stood up, his antennas rearing back.

"I don't believe you." he hissed.

"It is the truth, but I can assure you humans in this reality don't feel that way. They don't have any objective like that." T'Pol tried to calm him down. Shran glared at her warily and then slowly sat back down. Once she saw he wasn't going to blow up she continued, "Your counterpart, that is, the other you-"

"I get the idea!" he snapped,

"-was head of the Resistance, a rebel base that was fighting back against the Empire." Shran nodded, he said nothing, but he seemed pleased by this information. "He was using data from a ship from a hundred years into the future-"

"Don't ask." Archer quickly jumped in when Shran looked at him questioningly.

"-to create defences for the Resistance, improving shields, phasers, tactics and the like. He was also married." Now Shran sat up in shock. "To my counterpart."

"Whaaat?" Shran asked slowly, staring at her like she was mad.

"Your counterpart and mine were married and expecting their second child."

"Second?"

"They already had a son, named Soval."

"Soval?" Shran pulled a rather amusing face at that fact, and Archer had to fight a smile. "So why are you telling me all this? It can't be for the benefit of my health."

"Both our counterparts, indeed the whole Resistance base, has been destroyed, but I was asked by your counterpart to take Soval with me to our universe. By a technicality I am now his biological mother-"

"Which makes me his biological father." Shran finished softly his eyes wide and staring at the floor. Archer felt a little sorry for him, this was a lot to dump on the Andorian. There was silence for a few minutes while Shran sat perfectly still, absorbing this information. Finally he said, "The child is on Enterprise?"

"Yes, Dr. Phlox was kind enough to look after him while I told you of the situation." Shran stood up and paced slowly around the room, his arms crossed over his chest tightly, head down, thinking. Finally he whirled around and faced them. He was clearly very confused.

"You tell me I have a child, with you. I can't believe it."

"It is true." Shran shook his head.

"It makes no sense!"

"How so? We've explained the situation." Shran screwed up his face,

"Yes, but, he's biologically my son, a test would confirm my paternity, correct?"

"Yes."

"But I can't feel him." Shran exclaimed, "I can't feel his presence like I feel my siblings, my nieces and nephews, like I felt my parents when they were still alive. This doesn't make sense. If he's of my blood I should feel him!"

"He's not yours really, but he is technically." Shran shook his head sharply. Archer had a feeling he was only confused because it was a shock, otherwise he would have understood.

"But I-"

"HEY!" a feminine voice called out from behind one of the doors. "Keep it down Thy'lek, some of us are trying to have a pleasant morning."

"Four times in a night is enough Lissiel!" Shran snapped irritably. "I've got bigger things to think about than your frisky morning habits!"

"Oh really." The door opened to reveal a goddess. At least she may as well have been to Archer. Long elegant hair, clear, smooth blue skin and sharp, clever eyes. This woman was gorgeous. She was also only wearing a sheet wrapped around herself. "Well what exactly is going on out here anyway? All I can hear is your muttering." Her eyes swept over Archer and T'Pol. They went as sharp as a dagger upon landing on T'Pol.

"None of your business Lis. Go away." She somehow managed to fold her arms without the sheet even slipping a little.

"Why don't you make me?" she smirked, confirming Archer's thoughts that it was indeed genetic. Shran snarled irritably at her, stepping forward threateningly. A third door opened and a sleepy head poked out.

"Why don't we all just calm down for a moment and Lissiel, you have a guest so deal with her."

"Him." Lissiel corrected calmly.

"Oh, he's got a really high voice." The newcomer commented thoughtfully. He could easily have passed for Shran's twin they looked so alike. Yet his features were a littler softer than Shran's, who had a strong jaw and broad shoulders. He was a little thinner, and taller and his eyes were softer, gentler than the harder and sharper ones of Shran.

"I know, I like it." Lissiel smiled lightly.

"Could you both go away for a while this is important." Shran asked irritably, although the arrival of the third person seemed to have calmed him down.

"But I want to hear." Lissiel smirked.

"I'll tell you later, just go back to bed now Lis. Please." She sighed and her smirk softened, but didn't disappear.

"Alright. Later." She stepped back into her room and the third person, Shran's brother, gave him a smile and a brief wink before disappearing too. Shran then turned back to Archer and T'Pol who'd watched the conversation in silence. He pinched the bridge of his nose and then folded his arms again.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to say or do." he told them, he looked a little lost. T'Pol stood up,

"I'm telling you because I believe it unfair to let you find out through hearsay or rumour. What you do is up to you. You may see him if you wish."

"See him?" Shran looked at her carefully.

"Yes, actually I require your assistance with him at the moment."

"What's the problem?" Shran looked worried, his face a picture of fatherly concern. Archer relaxed.

"Soval has no bond with anyone, he's beginning to refuse food and comfort, I was hoping you might know of a way to help him." Shran sighed and nodded,

"This is common of young children. How old is he?"

"Five months."

"Alright then…" Shran looked at the wall thinking carefully. "At his age he should be recognising people, but he'll only trust those he shares a bond with. Without a bond he's probably not only frightened but he may be in pain. He'll be straining himself to find the bond, and overdoing that can cause pain." T'Pol looked down, obviously taken aback at the idea that Soval was in pain. "A bond doesn't just form like that. When it comes to adoption it's done over a matter of weeks, months, maybe even years depending on the child."

"Adoption?"

"That's the closest way I can explain it. There's no such thing as illegitimacy, or… what do you call it? Divorce? There's nothing like that among Andorians. The only thing that comes close to what this is, is adoption. There the parent or parents have to interact with the child and see if they respond to them. If they do they spend as much time with the child as possible slowly forming the bond with care and trust."

"And that can take years?"

"It depends on the people involved. Sometimes it can take years."

"Is there a time limit to when one can form a bond with a child?"

"Not until they're mentally adults, and that can happen between… seventeen and twenty-five and then the need to form a bond if it is lost is nullified. The bond lasts until death though once it's formed." Shran's brow creased and then he said slowly, "Look, I want to help him, I'd help any child in pain, like any other Andorian, but I need to think for a while." That was obviously a hint that he wanted them to leave. Archer stood up and headed to the front door. Then he paused and asked T'Pol,

"Do you know the way back to the lift?"

"I believe so." she nodded.

"I'll contact you." Shran told them. "I'm not sure when, but I will."

"I understand." They bid him goodbye and then left. Looking around Archer saw that the cave, although it was so massive 'cave' was certainly not the right word for it, was beginning to brighten, almost like the sun itself was rising. Maybe that was the idea. Archer suddenly remembered that Shran had told him that he hadn't seen the sun until he was fifteen. It seemed like he'd told him that a million years ago.

"That went better than I expected. I thought he would yell his head off at us."

"I believe he was too stunned to yell." T'Pol commented as they walked through the city, over precariously high bridges. It made Archer feel a little dizzy, and he'd blown himself into space, sans ship. At least there were railings on the bridges, no doubt to stop children falling off it. "Do you think he will accept Soval?"

"I think he will. Didn't you see the look on his face when you told him there was a problem with Soval?"

"He did seem… concerned." T'Pol agreed. She hesitated a moment, looking at two separate paths and then headed down the one on the left confidently. Soon enough they were at the lift and ascending.

"I'd say Shran will be ok with this. Just give him a chance to get his head around it."

"Agreed."

* * *

Let me know what you think so far! Review!

Night's Darkness


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 up already! O.O wow! Then again, I'm going away next week so I may as well post now ;)

Blackn'blue: If I could, I would have responded directly to your review. I won't say much about Trip, but don't worry, I'm not going to cut him out of the story, I promise you. He will be involved too. I just had Archer go with T'Pol because it just made more sense. I'm glad you liked my descriptions, and the sibling harassment was particularly enjoyable to write, lol. I can just picture it so clearly, so I'm glad you liked them. There'll be plenty more of them! I promise! And this is the normal universe so not as many dieings going on, lol! ;)

natalie s: Thanks again for reviewing.

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**Chapter 2**

"SEN!" Thy'lek burst into his brother's room, and pounced on him, shaking him violently and dragging him out of bed. "Wake up! Wake up Sen!"

"What? What?" Senkrad groaned as he sat up. He looked up at his younger brother who looked like he was having a panic attack. "What's wrong Thy'lek?"

"You won't believe what T'Pol has just told me." Thy'lek quickly explained to his brother about his son. "What am I supposed to do Sen?"

"What any parent would do I suppose." Senkrad shrugged, now awake and apparently taking this news a lot better than Thy'lek.

"But… he's not mine, he's some other Thy'lek's. I don't have a bond with him."

"You'll form one with him."

"Form what with who?" Lissiel, now dressed in a silk robe, asked as she entered the room, leaning against the doorframe. Behind her the two saw her companion of the night walking out.

"He doesn't want breakfast?" Thy'lek asked, momentarily distracted. It was considered proper manners to provide any guests with food to ensure strength. He only now realised he hadn't done so with pink-skin and T'Pol, but he decided he did not care, they deserved it!

"I said it was probably best if he left before things got any louder here or he might get hit in the cross fire." she shrugged, "I'm sure he'll be back, he's got some skills."

"From the noises I heard last night he'd have to." Senkrad rolled his eyes. Lissiel smirked.

"Anyway, form what with who? Tell me what's going on."

"You do it Sen, I can't repeat it again." Thy'lek sighed, scratching at the back of his head. Senkrad calmly explained the situation. Lissiel's reaction was similar to Thy'lek's.

"What are you going to do? Obviously this is unheard of, I mean you and the Vulcan obviously won't be getting together."

"That's a given." snorted Thy'lek sitting down on Senkrad's bed, leaping up again when he sat on something. He reached under the fur blankets and extracted a stiff stuffed animal. "You still sleep with him?" Senkrad blushed and snatched the toy away, hiding him behind his back.

"So? You must still sleep with yours on occasion."

"Even if I wanted to, and I don't, I couldn't. I gave him to Erib." Thy'lek sighed, flopping back onto the bed.

"You gave Speckle to Erib?" Lissiel asked with a raised eyebrow.

"For the last time, his name isn't Speckle it's- why am I having this conversation with you again? I've just been told I have a son with a Vulcan, and I'm arguing with you over the name of my childhood toy."

"How old are we again?" Senkrad asked jokingly.

"Not nearing middle-aged." Lissiel answered.

"And we still talk about our stuffed animals." Thy'lek chuckled, rolling onto his side to face his two siblings. They both smiled and shook their heads. All of them were still relatively young by Andorian standards, Lissiel being fifty six, Senkrad being fifty two and Thy'lek being fifty, with expected life spans of nearly two hundred, but even they were often childish for their age when together. "So what am I going to do?"

"I think you should see the boy before you consider your options. See how you feel with him, then let those feelings guide your decision."

"Spirits know that Vulcan certainly won't, that child will need some feelings around him." Lissiel said darkly. Thy'lek sighed as he regarded his sister.

"Will you ever stop hating them? I'm getting there." She sighed as well and walked out, saying that she was going to get dressed. Senkrad chuckled without humour and threw Thy'lek a sideways glance.

"You know why she can't like them don't you?"

"Yes." Thy'lek sighed, "But I wish she would try. I am. Hell, I do like Soval and T'Pol, and if you ever tell them I said that you'll be hanging from the cavetop by your antennas and hair." Senkrad grinned and put his arm around his brother, hugging him in reassurance.

"I shall never breath a word." Thy'lek hugged him back and then pulled away,

"I'm going to go make breakfast, you know how Lissiel can be."

"What about the child?"

"I… I'll go later today or early tomorrow. I just need to get used to the idea first. Most people have five months, at least, to get used to the idea, I probably have less than a day."

"You'll manage little brother, you always do." Thy'lek sighed

"It's my methods of managing that may cause problems." Senkrad raised an eyebrow but Thy'lek just smiled slightly and stood up, and headed into the kitchen. Once there he began to prepare a meal for himself and his siblings. As he cut up the slab of Nestaliv he couldn't stop thinking about the little baby. What did he look like? Did he have antennas? What were his eyes like? What kind of child was he? Active or quiet? Curious or uninterested? The questions bounced around in his head so much that he nearly cut himself with the sharp knife he was using to slice the meat. He tossed the meat into the large bowl and then cut up several pieces of different fruits and squeezed their juices over the meat. Cutting up some tuber root he added that too, and then he covered the bowl with the lid and shook it vigorously, tossing it into the air and catching it again several times.

"One of these days you'll miss." Lissiel said as she came over to the kitchen, dressed in her uniform for work.

"Not today though." he smirked as he set it down and opened it. A burst of steam escaped, coming from two of the juices combining and having an exothermic reaction, lightly cooking the meat and Lissiel inhaled the aroma hungrily.

"Mmm, hurry up, I'm starving."

"Almost done Lis. Be patient."

"You know that's not my strong suit or yours for that matter."

"I'm more patient than you are." She raised her eyebrows,

"Oh really? So who ended up in the ice bore nest, getting third degree burns because he wouldn't wait a few minutes for Tren to set up the bridge over it?" Thy'lek looked up at her and then turned away, deciding to keep silent. She snorted lightly and leaned back in her chair elegantly.

"Oh, before I forget, San says it's your turn."

"My turn? Oh not today, I'm supposed to meet up with my friends."

"Well too bad, because I'm not doing it today. I've too much on my mind to take care of fifteen children."

"Sen! Will you take Sak and San's children today for me, I've got plans."

"Sorry, I can't." Senkrad responded as he came out, dressed in his climbing clothes. "I've made plans with Thy'lek."

"You have?" Lissiel asked

"We have?" Thy'lek asked as he poured the food into three separate bowls.

"Yes. We're going to climb the Ulio today. We agreed ages ago, remember?" Senkrad widened his eyes at Thy'lek when Lissiel looked away, and Thy'lek drew in a sharp breath of understanding,

"Oh right we did, I'm sorry Sen, I've been so busy working with Soval and Gral that I completely forgot." he said sincerely. Lissiel groaned, throwing her head back in defeat.

"Oh fine, I'll take them."

"Why do you treat it as a chore?" Thy'lek asked exasperatedly, "I always have fun with the children."

"Yes, but you're just good with them, you can control all of them without effort. They never behave for me. What's so important anyway that I have to mind both our brother's, and our sister's children?"

"Sakrana's team just finished that new shield design, and there's a big party to celebrate, and Sanakral's going because he's one of the heads of government."

"Why aren't you going? You're an ambassador and a high ranking member of the Imperial Guard."

"I was invited. I just decided I didn't want to go. I'm sick of parties! I've been to five in the last two months."

"Oh poor you." snipped Lissiel sarcastically.

"Do you want your food or not?" She stayed silent, understanding the threat and he passed her a bowl and then gave one to Senkrad, who was fighting a smile. They ate in silence.

* * *

"So it went ok?"

"Yeah, better than I expected to be honest. Still we don't know what he'll do so it's probably not a good idea to relax completely." Trip nodded thoughtfully from his position seated behind the engineering consol. "He said the reason Soval's so upset is that he's hurting himself searching for a bond."

"Poor little guy." Hoshi murmured from her station. Suddenly her consol beeped. Her eyes widened in surprise, "It's a communiqué from the planet. It's Ambassador Soval."

"You sure?"

"Positive sir." Archer stood up and nodded to her

"On screen." Hoshi nodded and switched on the screen. "Ambassador, this is a surprise. I wasn't aware you were on Andoria."

"Captain, I am as surprised as you are to see you here. I was unaware Enterprise had business on Andoria." the older man said

"Enterprise doesn't, we have an issue of a personal nature to sort out with Shran. May I ask what you're up to?"

"Ambassador Gral and I are working with Shran over some trade agreements. Since Shran hasn't been in space in almost a year due to Imperial Guard grounding we were required to negotiate here."

"Grounding?" Archer asked frowning.

"It's regulation for any Imperial commander who has suffered the loss of a ship to be grounded for at least one year during times of peace. A tad ironic in my opinion since without Shran there would be no peace."

"Is it a punishment?" If it was then Archer would have a few choice words for the Andorian government in Shran's defence.

"Not so much as a recovery period. Generally speaking Andorian commanders go through extreme bouts of depression due to a loss of a ship, and in order to prevent them becoming… irrational, they're required to stay on-planet to recover." Archer relaxed marginally, relieved that Shran wasn't being punished, but concerned by Soval's implication.

"I didn't realise."

"Neither did I until Shran explained it two weeks ago."

"Are you negotiating today?"

"No. We are having a day of respite, not a moment too soon if Gral and Shran's shortness yesterday was anything to go by." If Archer didn't know better he'd have sworn that was a joke. He smiled at the Vulcan warmly,

"Well, if you're not busy, perhaps you'd like to come aboard Enterprise for dinner."

"I appreciate the gesture, however I must decline, I already have an arrangement, but thank you."

"No problem." Archer smiled, "Hopefully we'll get to meet up at some point, I'm not all that sure how long we'll be here. I'm sure T'Pol would like to see you." Soval nodded,

"I would be pleased to see her as well, I will contact you of a time if that is acceptable."

"That's fine. Good to see you again."

"And you." Soval cut the communiqué.

"Well that's gotta be one of the nicest conversations you've had with him in all the time you've known each other." Trip chuckled.

"You're not far off." Archer smiled.

"Interesting that grounding tactic of the Imperial Guards." Malcolm commented thoughtfully. "It makes sense, I can imagine that any Andorian commander would deny any ill effects of the loss of a ship."

"If they're all as proud and stubborn as Commander Shran… it wouldn't surprise me." Travis said from his consol. Archer shook his head with a small smile.

"Do you think the Commander suffered any… 'irrational behaviour' as Ambassador Soval put it?" Hoshi wondered quietly, "I mean, he may not have shown it too much but you could tell that it was killing him."

"He seemed quite together on the bridge." Malcolm reminded her,

"Yeah, but you know he'd be like that if his leg was hanging off. He'd call it a scratch." Trip pointed out. Malcolm chuckled,

"Good point."

"I remember…" Archer trailed off, unsure if he should continue. He knew his senior officers weren't just gossiping, they'd all come to hold some affection for Shran, the man had proven himself a good ally, and a good man.

"Cap'n?" Trip pressed. Archer sighed, and then plunged on,

"I remember, when the surviving Kumari crew was being treated… I just remember how… gentle and caring Shran was. So unlike him I thought. But by watching him, how he held one woman's hand as she died, well I saw how much he loved his crew." Archer shook his head sadly, "I could see it, and I couldn't… understand how he was able to keep it together the way he did. I know I wouldn't have if- if the positions were reversed." They were quiet for a moment and then Travis said softly,

"I guess he's learnt how to hide it."

* * *

Just to say I have no idea how old Shran actually is, or how long Andorians live for but I took Jeffrey Combs actual age, and decided to make the Andorians as long living as the Vulcans as part of parallels if you know what I mean.

Reviews will result in faster updates!

Night's Darkness!


	3. Chapter 3

An update before I go away for a week. Thanks for the reviews guys! Blackn'blue, there's more Andorian lifestyle stuff on the way I promise, and Gammara, here's more of Shran's family… well one of them anyway.

Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 3**

"Ready to go?"

"Been ready for ten minutes now Sen." Thy'lek smiled, giving his backpack a tug to emphasis his point. His brother smiled fondly and then patted him on the shoulder, jerking his head in the direction before them.

"Then let's go." The two brothers walked towards the ice cliffs that toward above them. The Ulio cliffs were the tallest in the Angenian province where their city Mec'naili was located. The cliffs were popular with experienced climbers because towards the top the ice gradually jutted outwards, so if one slipped, there was nothing to grab onto, only air all around you. The two brothers loved climbing it, both were experienced climbers, Senkrad was, in fact, a climbing instructor. Yet it wasn't the danger involved that truly kept them coming back to these cliffs. It was The Point. There was a particular place on the cliffs, tricky to find exactly, but worth it upon location, because from this point the view was not only so vast one could not take it in all at once, but the shapes of the different ice sheets, the way the light would catch it, the planet, moons, and sun overhead… oh it was just perfect. Thy'lek was especially enamoured with The Point, he always stopped and often had to be reminded that he'd loose his fingers if he didn't move after an hour of holding onto the ice, gloves or no. As they began their climb, ropes and harness free, climbing was no fun with things like that for the two, they started to talk,

"So how're Tholos, Thon and Keval?"

"They're fine. Keval is completely enamoured with Cralic, remember her?"

"Wasn't she the one that nearly threatened to kill you if you didn't…"

"Yes that's her. Apparently she's gotten over her attraction to me and is being quite receptive towards Keval."

"Hmm… her attraction towards you ended after you two slept together, right?"

"Yes. And I know, I know, should I be insulted or relieved that that's what happened, I know, now let's change the subject please." Senkrad chuckled as Thy'lek drew in a breath after his short rant.

"Alright, change it to what?"

"I don't know. I mean I know I should be thinking about this baby and I don't want to run away from it, and I won't, but…"

"I think you just need to think about something else and let your mind sort itself out."

"Don't I need to be asleep for that?"

"Cliff climbing's the same as sleep."

"Oh really, I did not know that." They both laughed and a comfortable silence descended between them as they climbed higher, letting their natural strong grip lift them easily up the cliff.

Andorian grip was a remarkable thing. From birth an Andorian could support their own weight on their hands, and they reflexively gripped onto the clothes of a carrier to free the carrier's hands. They could remain like that all day, and sleep without loosening it. As they got older they maintained this strong grip and by adulthood an Andorian could support his own weight, plus another person's on their backs on their hands. The true test for ice cliff climbers was to climb up a cliff like Ulio with another adult of around equal weight hanging onto their back. The record was supposed to be one climber carrying three adults up the Ulio, much to the shock of the public, who'd been disbelieving at the claim.

"How's your leg Thy'lek?" Thy'lek sighed exasperatedly,

"Sen, it's been a year, and for the last time I'm fine. I didn't hit anything major."

"No you just impaled yourself."

"Hey! The ice gave out beneath me! Not my fault."

"Uh uh. Whatever you say." Senkrad sighed, stretching his arm as high as he could to reach a nice looking grip. Thy'lek rolled his eyes as he hurried to catch up with his older brother, who'd gotten a bit ahead of him.

"What about you and Telk? You two still…?"

"Uh, no, why? You like him?"

"Well, he's attractive enough but not my type."

"Ah," sighed Senkrad, "The pickiness of a neuter." Thy'lek chuckled softly and grinned at him. He smiled back. They kept climbing, not minding the silence that fell again, content to focus on their work. Ten minutes later Senkrad spoke, "Why did you give Speckle to Erib?"

"For the last and final time his name isn't Speckle! That's the name Lissiel gave him to annoy me."

"So what is the name of your childhood stuffed animal." Senkrad was grinning,

"I can't believe I'm discussing this with you! All right, his name is not Speckle, it's…" Senkrad didn't need to look to know his brother was blushing a delightful blue.

"Thy'leeeeek?"

"Oh fine his name is Furball." Senkrad tried, he really did try not to laugh but he couldn't help it and burst into fits of laughter, while Thy'lek growled in irritation. "Well he looks like one. And I was three!" he muttered defensively. Senkrad howled with laughter, clinging to the side of the cliff, almost in danger of loosing his grip. "Stop any time now Sen." Thy'lek sighed as he continued his way up. Senkrad struggled, but managed to control himself. He followed Thy'lek, scaling the cliff face to catch up with him, still grinning broadly.

"Alright, I'm sorry, but why did you give him to Erib?" Erib was Sakrana's son, only four and he adored Thy'lek, like all his siblings and cousins.

"He was having nightmares the last time he and the others stayed over and I gave him Furball because I told him that the animal would fight away the demons that brought those scary dreams to him. I must have gone on for half an hour about that damn stuff animal's abilities, Erib loved it. When they left I told him to keep it so he wouldn't have anymore bad dreams."

"Cute." Senkrad chuckled.

"Oh shut up!" Thy'lek grumbled, pausing to reassert his footing before heaving himself up. "At least I don't still sleep with mine." He smirked as Senkrad blushed, "Feel like telling me why?"

"I may have had a bad dream myself."

"Aw, and you wanted your old friend Fuzzy to protect you." Thy'lek teased, smiling widely.

"Oh shut up." Senkrad muttered as he passed him out.

"Hey! Wait for me!"

"Race you!" Senkrad grinned and then sped up even more.

"No fair! You cheater!" Thy'lek laughed, clambering up after him. They were now about half way up and as their usual competitiveness kicked in they were quickly past the three-quarter mark, and near the beginning of the gradual jut-out of ice. "Sen! Stop for a minute!"

"Getting tired baby brother? Spent too much time sitting on your rear and talking?" Senkrad teased even as he slowed slightly,

"No just let me take a look and then we can keep going." Thy'lek gave him an eager look that was one of the few things he could not say no to. That face was one he didn't see often enough on his youngest brother. He stilled and nodded, Thy'lek grinned broadly and quickly looked around, searching for the exact spot. He then shuffled over to it and then stilled, only turning his upper body, twisting it carefully to get a proper view. Senkrad waited a moment before carefully climbing downwards, a risky thing to do without safety equipment, and stopping beside him. Before his eyes there was the vast Angenian province.

The sheets of ice extended all the way to the horizon and melted into an aquamarine sky, dominated by Geleri the beautiful, multi-hued gas giant, the mythological mother of all life. She shimmered with the slight silver hue of her body, and with her rings it looked, for a single moment, like she was dancing, her skirts flared out. Maybe she was, a dance of the planets, and their home world was a part of that dance. The largest moon, Hangele, the mythological father of all life, with his craters that formed a kindly old face, circled her in his vertical orbit, a contrast to Andoria, hovering between her and the sun during half the month, as if defending her, and hiding on the other side the second half, as if she was protecting him in turn, like a truly married couple. The sunlight shone down upon the land, causing the ice to sparkle with a beauty all its own. Dotted across the land were burning torches, massive torches, whose flames cast shadows and colours, forming shapes and images, telling stories through pictures. The red and orange and yellow were in stark contrast to the white of the surface and the slight hue of blue underneath as the ice went deeper. The sun was past its highest peak and was beginning its decent, so the shadows were lengthening, adding to the torches images. There was also movement on the land, as a herd of zabanthu raced across it, riders just visible on their backs. The land looked alive, it felt alive, deep within their bodies they could feel the life within it. The heartbeat of Andoria.

"You know I could stay here forever." Thy'lek murmured, "Just stay here, and enjoy the view. Do you know why I love this place so much?"

"The beauty of Andoria is best shown here?"

"No." he shook his head, "It's because, when I'm here, for a few moments, I can let the weight lift. I can know that all the things I've done, all the cruelty, suffering on both mine and others part was all worth it, all the pain, anger, utter agony was worth it, because this beauty is still here. Does that seem selfish?" Thy'lek turned to him and Senkrad saw the uncertainty, rarely shown, but always there, in his eyes. He slowly shook his head,

"No. No baby brother, I don't think it's selfish. It sounds nice actually." Thy'lek smiled at him gratefully, before taking off up the cliff.

"Race you!"

"Ah! Thy'lek! No fair!" Senkrad quickly scrambled after him, catching up and the two brothers were neck and neck up the rest of the cliff, jeering and teasing each other like typical siblings.

"Aoul deriy!" they both yelled as they slapped their hands onto the surface at the top.

"I was first!" Thy'lek exclaimed triumphantly, as they hauled themselves over the edge, resting at last after three hours of climbing.

"Did not! I was!" Senkrad retorted lightly, "And I'm prepared to fight you for it!" So saying he pounced on Thy'lek and they wrestled lazily, at least lazily for Andorians.

"Ah! Sen, no biting my ear!" Thy'lek laughed as he kicked him in the shin. They played around, laughing and using up the last of their energy. They grappled a final time and then collapsed to the ground, laughing hard. At last they quieted and relaxed, splayed out on the ice, the frozen crystals cooling the warm skin on their cheeks and brows.

Thy'lek wearily sat up and first pulled his backpack off his back and set it to one side. He then pulled his gloves off, then his shoes and socks, rolling up his sleeves and trousers, sighing in contentment as he cooled off. Senkrad copied him and then he sat on the edge, blue feet dangling down over it, soles facing the ground that seemed a light-year away. Thy'lek preferred to lean against an ice boulder, closing his eyes, and enjoying the feel of the ice against his skin. A Human, or a Vulcan or a Tellerite wouldn't dream of lounging against ice, surrounded by more, with exposed limbs, but Andorians loved this, especially after a thorough work-out like the brothers had just done. For them, whose bodies had evolved to be comfortable among the ice, there was nothing better than working up a hard sweat and then just feeling the ice cool your skin as it melted from your body heat, feeling the water trickling down the skin so delicately, it was just divine.

Thy'lek let out a contented sigh and Senkrad rummaged within his own bag, before pulling out a pad of parchment and a container of drawing tools. While Thy'lek dozed off in the comfortable air, Senkrad sketched the scene before him, his eyes flicking up and down, taking in moments of shadows and imprinting them on the parchment with quick, clever strokes of the tools he had. He paused a moment as he looked up and grinned when he spotted a bright star, it shone down brightly, despite that it only looked like a star. It wasn't normally there and it was moving too fast to be a star. It had to be the Enterprise.

**Beep,** **Beep,** **Beep,** **Beep! **The brothers both jumped in surprise at the sudden noise. Thy'lek rubbed his eyes tiredly, and rummaged through his bag, before pulling out his beeping communicator,

"It's probably Gral missing our arguments." he muttered as he flipped it open. "Yes?"

"_Shran."_

"Telev?"

"_Yes it's me. I was just wondering if you wanted to meet with a few of us at the Salya'ht for drinks. With all the work you've been doing with the pig and the_ _Vulcan-"_ Thy'lek rolled his eyes _"-none of us have had a chance to see you."_

"Aw, it's nice to know I'm so loved." Thy'lek grinned.

"_Don't flatter yourself."_ Telev's smirk was audible. _"It was just an offer, not a plea."_

"I'm sure."

"_Are you going to come or not?"_

"Tonight?"

"_No next year. Of course tonight!"_ Thy'lek bit his lip and looked at Senkrad who shrugged, not knowing what to do. Thy'lek sighed,

"Maybe some other time, alright Telev? I'm dealing with something right now, and as much as I would love to get drunk with you and the others, tonight's not a good night."

"_Alright, but there'd better be a good story for this."_

"Oh trust me, it'll be the best one you've heard all year."

"_Alright then, Telev out."_ Thy'lek snapped the communicator shut and then put it back in his bag.

"I personally think this is the best story all decade." Senkrad grinned,

"Oh be quiet." Thy'lek grinned and then pulled his socks, shoes and gloves back on and rolled down his sleeves and trousers and Senkrad did the same. He went to put his drawing into his bag but Thy'lek stopped him. "Let me have a look."

"I'm not done." Senkrad pointed out as he handed it over.

"Still." Thy'lek looked it over and then after a minute he handed it back, a proud smile on his face. "I'll never understand why you dropped out of the Art Academy, you're really good."

"It wasn't for me. I like being an instructor anyway." Senkrad smiled. They both checked their backpacks, and ensured they were set up, before securing them and then jumping off the cliff with shouts of delight. Thy'lek somersaulted in the air before spreading himself out in a star shape and grinning at his brother who was already like that and then pulling sharply on the cord that hung over his shoulder. At once the front of his backpack opened out into a parachute and his body was jerked roughly as the material caught the air and slowed him sharply. He saw another parachute come into his line of view, Senkrad had released his too, and they floated down gracefully to landed firmly on the ground. They grinned at each other as they ensured their footing, and then pulled the second cord. The parachute was pulled back into the special pocket at the front of their backpacks and refolded for the next time they were to be used.

"So what do you want for dinner?" Thy'lek asked as they headed back to the climbing cabin where all the equipment was stored.

"I was hoping for a tuber root meal, or maybe redbat, redbat I think."

"I was hoping you'd say that, I got some redbat yesterday and it's nice and tender. Should be good." Thy'lek reached out and grabbed his brother's shoulder. "Hey. Thank you. I needed that climb. You were right, it did help."

"I'm glad." Senkrad briefly hugged his younger and slightly shorter brother before setting the bags in the cabin and retrieving their original bag, stuffing their things into it.

"Can I have that drawing when you're done?"

"Sure."

"I lost all of the ones you did before when the Kumari…" Thy'lek shrugged awkwardly, a darkness engulfing his eyes briefly, a darkness Senkrad had seen before, long before the Kumari was even built, and had grown to hate because it showed the pain his baby brother felt, and it made him afraid to let him out of his sight.

"Well I'll do new ones for you." he said softly.

"Thank you Sen, you're a great man."

"I know." he smiled, putting his arm around Thy'lek's shoulders and they walked to the platform and descended to their home.

* * *

See him. Don't see him. See him. Don't see him. What was he supposed to do? Thy'lek rolled over in his bed in frustration, his mind buzzing so much that he couldn't sleep. If he did see him, if he really was his son, then how would the government react? True Andorians policy with children was to accept them however they were, until they were adults and then they reacted however was appropriate. But that was for disabled children, ones who were deaf, or blind or had some other handicap, not for a child of two bloods. There'd never been one as far as he was aware. He snorted and buried his face in the pillow. Typical! He'd been the first in two hundred years to try to work things out with the Vulcans, and the Tellerites, and he'd been the first to encounter the Humans. Now he was apparently the first Andorian to have a child with an alien. _Wonderful!_ But why a Vulcan? Why T'Pol? Out of all the people in that alternate universe, why did his counterpart have to pick the other T'Pol? Melanina, spirit of irony, must be having a laughing fit at him right now. What would his late-brother Trenach think of all this? What would his father think of it? It was rare that he felt this way but there were times when Thy'lek desperately wanted to talk to them, only to face the reality that he couldn't.

It was official. He was not going to be sleeping tonight. Grumbling, he got up and wandered into the main room, where he'd left his book. As he went to sit down on the couch, something gave him pause. He walked over to the shelf and looked at a particular picture. It was of six Andorian children. The tallest was wrestling with two of the smaller ones and the two girls were laughing, while in the taller girl's lap was the smallest one. This child was sucking on his fingers and watching curiously, a look of pure innocence on his face. The child was about seven months old.

'_Was I any different than, compared to Soval?'_ he wondered as he stared at his much younger self. _'I didn't even know what the word Vulcan meant, had barely started to speak, so Soval doesn't know anything about the conflict between the two bloods that flow within his veins. How can I ignore that he's mine now, even if he wasn't before? I know I can't. I never could. He's mine, and I'm going to act like he is.'_ He nodded to himself and then checked the time on Enterprise, finding it was still early enough in the morning. As much as it pained him, he'd be patient and wait a little while, he didn't want to start off badly, he might not get to see the child then. He sighed and grabbed his book, turning on the padd and bringing up the page he'd been on. He read a few pages, and then set the book down, it wasn't really good, although he supposed that was because it was full of arguments, like all Tellerite literature, which he wasn't interested in reading. He rolled onto his stomach and rested his chin on his folded arms, one finger tapping the metal frame of the couch irritably. Could time move any slower? Doubtful.

* * *

T'Pol fought the strong urge to sigh as she rocked the screaming Soval.

"What do you want?" she asked him, "I have fed you, changed you, rocked you. What do you want me to do?" Instead of an answer he only screamed louder. She closed her eyes, hoping to find a moment of peace within which she could control herself. It was disturbed by the chime of her door.

"Come in!" she called. Trip entered, looking very tired.

"T'Pol, I was wondering if everything is alright? Do you need a hand?"

"I have tried everything I can think of to quiet him, but nothing works." she said, frustrated.

"Have you tried the jiggle?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Here?" Trip held his hands out and she carefully passed him over. "The Jiggle." He began to literally jiggle the baby in his arms. Soval's cries slowly quieted, and he seemed a tad bewildered at what was happening to him. "Works every time." Trip grinned. T'Pol sat down with relief, and clasped her hands together, flattening her lips. "You ok?" Trip noticed her behaviour.

"It would seem that everyone except me knows how to make my son stop crying."

"Ah come on, sometimes it's the change of pace that does it, and often Soval only wants you to sooth him." Trip paused and Soval instantly cried out. "Easy little fella, come on now your mommy's tired, let's give her a break." he said as he started jiggling the baby again. Soval stayed quiet. "Look, the cap'n told me that Shran said Soval's in pain from the lack of a bond. I'm sure once Shran comes along he'll know what to do and you'll be able to sort it out."

"Do you think he will be happy about being a father? I know that is important for a proper parent-child relationship among emotional species." Trip smiled fondly,

"Well, I'm fairly sure he'll be happy, I mean, come on, this little guy would melt any heart, even with someone as tough as Shran. I bet he's a real softy at heart anyway, so do don't worry about it." He crouched down before her, still jiggling the baby, "And if he doesn't want anything to do with him, just so you know, you're not alone in this. You've got everyone on Enterprise to back you up." She drew in a breath and felt much calmer,

"Thank you Trip." she said softly, reaching out and touching his arm in gratitude. He gave her a large grin and then looked down at Soval.

"Looks like Soval's all tuckered out." He raised his head sheepishly as he realised the bad joke in the words. "No pun intended." T'Pol leaned forward. Sure enough Soval yawned and his eyelids drooped. As Trip jiggled him gently the baby finally fell asleep. His little hand reached out and T'Pol slipped her finger into it. Instantly he gripped on tight. Trip stopped his movements and Soval didn't stir. They both let out a breath of relief. "Blessed silence." Trip grinned.

"I am sorry he has been such a disturbance."

"He's a baby, there's nothing you can do if they cry. Sometimes a baby's just gotta cry." Trip stood up after T'Pol carefully extracted her finger from Soval's grip. He then lay him down in the crib. Soval stretched, letting out a little noise as he yawned, his tiny aquamarine tongue sticking out. Trip chuckled, "He's a cute little guy." he grinned at T'Pol and then said,

"Well I'm gonna head back to my bed. Good night T'Pol."

"Good night Trip." she nodded and he smiled, stepping out the doorway.

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Review pretty please, or no updates at all!

Night's Darkness (back on the 15th!)


	4. Chapter 4

Ok I'm back! And with an extra long chapter for you guys! Shran finally meets Soval!

Reviewers: Just to clarify I don't have any plans for Shran and T'Pol to marry… although I may change my mind ;) You never know! Also, gammara and Blackn'blue, I'm glad you both enjoy my work and I appreciate both of your opinions, and I understand where you're both coming from I do. I won't say anymore, just in case I end up giving away some plot point or other, but thank you both for your reviews, and I will assure you I've been thinking carefully about all the details (I think ;)). I hope you both (indeed I hope all the people reading my fics) continue to enjoy my writing. Thanks for the reviews! Now gimme more! Lol!

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**Chapter 4**

"Another late night?" Archer asked over breakfast.

"Yes, Soval was unable to sleep. Thankfully Trip was able to sooth him by means of the… jiggle." Archer grinned at the strange word coming from T'Pol's mouth.

"That's good." He would have said more if the comm. hadn't gone off.

"_Bridge to captain Archer!"_

"Go ahead."

"_Commander Shran is requesting to come aboard. Shall I transport him?"_ It took him a second to recover and then he answered

"Yes, I'll be there in a minute." he closed the comm. channel and looked at T'Pol who looked at Soval who sat in his high chair and drooled. "Where will I bring him?"

"I believe sickbay is the most appropriate place. I will take Soval there and meet you."

"Fair enough." They both left and T'Pol got out of the lift at the level sickbay was located on and Archer went down one further. He walked to the transporter and as he stopped in front of it he order the crewman waiting to energise. The crewman obeyed and Shran materialised on the platform, dressed in casual clothes. They consisted of a sea green loose wrap around shirt that tied off at the side and the sleeves had stiff cuffs on them and black trousers and the same boots as he usually wore. A jacket over this kept out the cold. It was strange to see him out of uniform, but Archer preferred this to catching him in his pyjamas.

"Morning Shran." he greeted, holding his hand out. The Andorian shook it, gripping his hand tightly to the point of being painful.

"Pink-skin. I hope you had a better night's sleep than I did."

"I slept well, thanks. This way."

"Where're we heading?"

"Sickbay. T'Pol thought that would be the best place. Don't ask me why."

"She has the child with her."

"Yes." Archer slowed his movements down a second, "Are you ok? You look a little anxious." Shran turned and looked at him.

"It's not everyday you are told you have a child that is half the blood of those you once hated the most, in fact on Andoria it should be impossible to have a child without consent and knowledge, among other things required." Archer had to admit that had been a fairly dumb question to ask.

"True I guess. But are you ok?"

"Let me see the child first, and then you'll have your answer." Shran answered cryptically. Archer nodded and extended his arm out and they both walked to the lift that took them up one level and then they walked side by side to sickbay. Archer opened the doors and they were hit by screaming. Shran's antennas drooped slightly, although his face didn't change. Archer fought a sigh at the scene that greeted them.

T'Pol was rocking Soval in her arms, while Phlox scanned him.

"What's wrong?" Archer asked as he stepped inside. Shran felt a little unsure and hung back, watching.

"I don't think there is anything wrong. I don't know enough about Andorian infants to be sure." Phlox sighed as he lowered the device.

"Maybe he's too warm." Shran offered stepped forward. "I've always found Enterprise to be too warm for me. Maybe he finds it the same." He stepped closer and stared at the baby, head cocked to the side, thinking of what might be wrong. T'Pol hesitated and then held Soval out to him.

"Perhaps you can sooth him." Shran looked up at her briefly, then took Soval into his arms. He settled him in his grip and looked him over, feeling shock as he held him. This boy looked just like his brother Trenach, it was unbelievable. He looked him over and then shook his head, instantly knowing what was wrong. He hadn't minded fifteen children from birth to present for nothing.

"He's feeling restricted."

"Do you what you have to." T'Pol said. Shran looked up at her and nodded. He strode over to the nearest biobed and lay the baby down. Then he proceeded to remove the offending clothing, until Soval was only in his nappy. This seemed to help because the cries quieted, although they didn't disappear. Shran carefully turned the baby onto his stomach, a much more comfortable position for a baby considering how awkward the Andorian prominent back-ridge was at times. He then lightly rubbed his index finger up over the back ridge. Soval instantly stopped crying and made a soft gurgling noise that Shran knew meant he liked it.

"There we go." he said softly to the baby, rubbing his back. "That's better isn't it?" he lifted him up and held him in his hands, once more looking him over. The baby didn't have his eyes that he'd inherited from his father, like his siblings. His eyes were definitely T'Pol's. His skin was a delicate aquamarine, his two antennas stretched and twitched curiously as his eyes looked Shran over inquisitively. Sandy hair crowned his head, and fell slightly over a single, soft forehead ridge. Ten fingers, ten toes. In a word. Perfect. He was thankful that his back was to the others, because he had the stupidest grin on his face at the moment. Nestling Soval in the crook of one arm, he held one of the tiny arms. The skin felt soft and smooth under his rough fingertips. Soval stared at him carefully, and then slowly smiled, his antennas stretching forwards. Shran's moved forwards too, and he closed his eyes, tentatively listening and looking for the telepathic fingertips that wanted to touch his mind and stay fixed there.

'_Time, give it time my son.'_ He blinked as he realised what he'd just said. My son. _'Oh. Holy. Spirits! I have a child!'_ He felt a little dizzy, but managed to stay still, eyes fixed on the baby in his arms.

"It would appear he favours you." T'Pol's voice shattered the moment between them. He fought a feeling of irritation and turned around.

"He looks like my brother, Trenach, except for his eyes." He looked up and met T'Pol's gaze. "Definitely got your eyes."

"Thank you." she nodded, clearly surprised.

"It's a little strange, all of my nieces and nephews have the eyes my brothers and sisters and I got from our father." Suddenly Soval's hand grabbed onto his shirt and the baby pulled himself up, reaching out with his other hand and gripping the shirt as well. He buried his face into Shran's chest and then yawned, closing his eyes and falling asleep. Shran chuckled as he dropped his arms, which made all three of the others jump, although Soval didn't fall.

"Warn a person!" muttered Archer as he relaxed, realising there was no danger. Shran grinned widely in amusement.

"Sorry pink-skin, I'm just used to this."

"Fascinating." Phlox said eagerly, "I take it this is a trait all Andorians possess." He stepped forward, curious, a large smile on his face that unnerved Shran a little.

"Yes, from birth we can support our own weight, in order to free our carriers' hands. When we are adults we can support double that. If I wanted to, and I don't, I could climb up the cliffs with pink-skin on my back."

"Erm, no thanks." Archer muttered, embarrassed.

"Didn't I just say I wasn't going to?" Shran smirked, absentmindedly rubbing Soval's back. A silence fell between them all, and after a moment Phlox said

"Well, we'll leave you three to talk." Shran realised he was talking about himself and T'Pol. Archer and the doctor both walked out and left them alone. They looked at each other and then away, both glancing around the room. Shran cleared his throat lightly, but said nothing. T'Pol drew in a breath and then folded her arms. Neither wanted to be the first to speak, but finally Shran did.

"What's his full name?" T'Pol met his gaze,

"Soval Trenach T'Pol Shran."

"A mouthful." Shran chuckled, "But it suits him."

"Agreed." Soval shifted and then, still asleep, he clambered up Shran's chest a little higher, so that his antennas just brushed under Shran's chin. Shran chuckled, mostly because it tickled a little. "He has never done that before."

"Well, if you kept him wrapped in a blanket all the time he wouldn't be able to." the Andorian pointed out.

"That is logical." Shran fought not to roll his eyes.

"So… has he been crying like that a lot?"

"Almost constantly." It showed on both of them, T'Pol looked exhausted and Soval seemed moody. "It can be trying."

"Ah, babies sometimes just need to cry. Besides, I told you, he's probably over straining himself with searching for a bond."

"Can you sense such a thing? I cannot."

"Yes, I can sense it, but I'm probably more open to him," _'Though not by much.'_ "You're so closed off with all your mental barriers that he's probably screaming at you to let him in." She seemed taken aback.

"I had not realised."

"You couldn't have known, this is all Andorian stuff. _I_ don't know much about Vulcan issues."

"This is true." This time Shran did roll his eyes. He raised his hand and gently pressed it against Soval's back, his thumb smoothing over the back ridge. Soval yawned and opened his eyes, raising his head to look around him.

"Well hello." Shran grinned when the brown eyes met his own, "That was a short sleep." Soval made a babbling noise and reached out with one free hand for Shran's face. He chuckled and caught the hand, sighing softly at the feel of the baby's emotions through the contact.

"He seems more content with you than me."

"That's normal enough I think. Andorian babies generally are more affectionate to their fathers than mothers because it's the fathers who raise them."

"The mother's have no participation?"

"No, no. They do, but it's the father who has the larger hand in it. I know in most species it's the mother, but not with us. What about Vulcans?"

"Both parents take equal participation in theory, although sometimes one has a longer working day or is away doing work, so that one parent has a larger hand in the raising of children in practise."

"Sounds familiar." Shran muttered, then grimaced when he realised he'd spoken out loud. T'Pol arched an eyebrow at him questioningly. He shrugged, "My father was in the Imperial Guard, so he was away a lot, and my mother was in charge of the medical facility in the city, so really she was the one who raised us, although personally I think my brother had a larger hand in it than she did with me."

"Your mother was a scientist?"

"One of the best." he smiled, "Although she definitely didn't pass it on to me. I only graduated with a near failure in science because I took up an extra language, although I suppose it came in handy in the end." At her confused look he explained, "I took up higher Vulcan. It was useful in the Imperial Guard."

"_Higher_ Vulcan?"

"Yes, standard Vulcan was a mandatory part of school, along with Tellerite, and Orion, and two more to have the minimum five alien languages perfect by the time you finish higher school, before you moved on to career school."

"Why Vulcan and Tellerite, and for that matter Orion? You were enemies of all and are still enemies with the Orions." Shran bit the inside of his mouth lightly before answering, a tad sheepishly,

"We have a saying, 'To know all your enemy knows, is to come many steps closer to defeating him'. Language is included in that. Although nowadays your language and Tellerite are taught to promote peace." He rolled his eyes, "It's fascinating how politics can do about faces like that isn't it?"

"Indeed." she agreed dryly, and for a split second he could have sworn her lips twitched in a smile. "How many languages can you speak now?"

"Uh…" Shran did a quick mental count, "Eleven alien languages in total, including Andorian standard, but not any other Andorian languages. I can speak two of them."

"Impressive." He shrugged,

"Thanks. But I've got a knack for languages, it's supposed to be because I've got a good ear."

"I find it difficult to pick up languages with ease, although I am fluent in three. Vulcan, English-"

"That's Human standard isn't it?"

"Yes. I'm also fluent in Higher Vulcan myself."

"It's a difficult language isn't it?"

"It can be trying." she agreed.

"And Human can be awkward at times, the words are tricky sometimes."

"I suppose I am used to it now." T'Pol admitted, and Shran nodded. This conversation was fairly pointless, but they both knew it was helping them both to become more comfortable in each other's presence.

"Klingon's the worst though, if I speak it too long I get a sore throat."

"Where did you learn Klingon?"

"That's a really, really long story." Soval let out a sharp noise and Shran grabbed him as he kicked his legs out, apparently very excited all of a sudden. Shran and T'Pol shared a look as he babbled in baby language and kicked his legs out delightedly. Shran held him out slightly to avoid another kick from the sharp heel, and smiled widely in amusement as Soval flapped his arms as well. He looked like he was trying to fly. T'Pol regarded him with surprise, and Shran was sure he saw a flicker of amusement in her eyes, although it was gone before he could be absolutely positive. "What's gotten into you son?" he asked, laughter in his voice. T'Pol looked up at him in surprise. "What?"

"You called him son." she stated,

"Well he is isn't he?"

"Yes, however I did not know how you would take this."

"I'm shocked, I'm confused but I'm sure of that regardless of however or whatever brought him here, that he is my son. Look." He lay Soval on the biobed and beckoned her over. He pointed at Soval's left hip. "See that." She did, inspecting the small, dark blue mark on the skin that stood out against the aquamarine skin. "I've got the same birth mark on my right hip. Since there's no way you could have known about it, then there's no chance that this is a trick, and regardless of the fact that I did not have a hand in creating him as neither did you, I can't help but care for him like he was my son. He is mine. I'm going to have a hell of a time explaining this to my government, never mind my friends and family, but I'm going to claim him as my son."

"I am pleased." she told him, straightening up, "I was concerned you would not want anything to do with him."

"He's a child T'Pol, I'm an Andorian. He could be the son of an Orion for all I care. We don't hold prejudice against children, that's unfair. They have no say in the politics of planets. They are innocent."

"I did not realise that your people held that belief." she admitted,

"Children are a sacred blessing to us, regardless of species. When we speak of a species, never mind if they are allies or enemies, we refer only to the adults."

"That does seem logical. Children do not have a say of war and peace and the mediums between them."

"Exactly." Shran smiled at her slightly as he scooped Soval into his arms again. He then sat on the bed and sat Soval on his lap. Soval clapped his hands, seemingly delighted with the sound he was making.

"He's never been so active."

"Maybe he knows who we are, and is happy that we are not arguing. I know pink-skin will be."

"The captain does seem to find our mistrust irritating." Shran snorted,

"That's putting it mildly. Although I think he can be bigheaded when he wants to be."

"Bigheaded?"

"Do you remember when we were fighting that Romulan ship? And Gral and I were arguing non-stop."

"Vividly." she quipped. He narrowed his eyes at her and then continued,

"Well pink-skin told us to start acting like humans. I can tell you I nearly punched him, would have if it wouldn't have meant I got stuck in the brig."

"I have to admit that was quite presumptuous of him."

"No argument from me."

"For once."

"Was that a joke?"

"A statement."

"It was a joke."

"Vulcans don't joke."

"Sure, you've just got a wicked sarcastic streak." Shran smirked. T'Pol quirked her eyebrow at him as if in agreement, although she said nothing. "Ofh!" Shran grunted as Soval gave him a hard punch in the stomach. "Spirited little one, aren't you." he laughed, tickling the baby's stomach, making him squeal. "My family is going to love him."

"Are you sure?" she asked doubtfully. Shran grinned,

"Absolutely. Don't worry. When I left Lissiel told me to find out when I could bring him down so she could see him. Sen wants to see him too… and I haven't told Sakrana or Sanakral yet." The last part was groaned as he realised his mistake. "They're going to kill me."

"You are in danger?" T'Pol asked, alarmed. Shran raised an eyebrow at her and smiled again,

"We may be fairly brutal to each other but even we're not that bad."

"I see. I apologise, but I remember hearing that Andorian siblings would kill each other over trivial matters. May I assume that is propaganda?"

"You may. Load of redbat dung. We're fiercely devoted to each other, even if we beat the hell out of each other." That didn't seem to be much of a comfort to T'Pol. He put it down to Vulcan beliefs of no violence.

"Perhaps we could go now. If you wish to allow your siblings to see him."

"Are you sure?" He hadn't missed the carefully stated 'we'.

"If you wish, then I have no issue with accompanying you." he grinned at the hidden guard behind her words. She didn't like the idea of her child going anywhere without her. As far as he was concerned that was a good thing. He stood up and held Soval out,

"Do you want to carry him or would you mind if I did?"

"I believe it is best if you carry him down in your city."

"Good idea. It's heading into midmorning now, it'll be fairly busy, there's no school or work this day."

"A holiday?"

"One day a week is work free, allowing the chance to go after activities of one's own choice. 'Nine days of work, one day of fun' is what my father used to say."

"I see."

"You know you might want to let pink-skin know or else he's liable to have a panic-attack when we leave."

"Agreed." T'Pol went over to the comm. and paused before she pressed the button. "Perhaps you should dressed Soval again. I doubt he'll be appreciative of the cold." Shran blushed lightly as he remembered, and quickly lay the baby down.

"Good idea." he muttered, pulling the small trousers back on and then the shirt. Soval squawked his displeasure. "I'm sorry Soval but you don't have a choice in this matter." he told the baby firmly while he heard T'Pol speak to pink-skin. He'd been through this with his nieces and nephews, when they moaned about having to wear clothes. The girls were worse than the boys. The only way to deal with it was to catch them and put the clothes back on, without saying a word. Eventually they got the message.

"That is fine with the captain, although he said that you are to have me back by eleven." T'Pol told him calmly.

"What?"

"I do not understand it either; I can only assume it was a joke."

"An odd one." Shran decided, picking the baby up and settling him so he could rest his head on his shoulder.

"Agreed." she nodded and they left the sickbay. Shran busied himself with admiring Soval's face as the baby looked all around the ship as they walked to the transporter. T'Pol said nothing. Finally, in the turbo lift, Shran asked

"Do you want to get a coat or something?"

"I believe I will be fine. Thank you." This strained politeness was beginning to grate on his nerves, but he said nothing. The door of the lift slid open and Commander Tucker stood there. He started in surprise to see them.

"Hey, Shran, good to see you again." he said cheerfully, after recovering from his shock.

"And you Commander." Shran nodded his head.

"Call me Trip, please."

"Alright Trip. Coming or staying?" Trip blushed as he stepped inside and they stepped around him to get out.

"Where you going?"

"To the planet. Shran's family wishes to meet Soval." T'Pol answered.

"Oh here!" Trip exclaimed, catching the door as it slid shut and pushing it back with his hand, "There's no one at the transporter, let me."

"Thank you." Shran looked between the Vulcan and the human and rolled his eyes. Oh he didn't even need to guess what was going on between these two, he'd seen it all before, more times than he'd care to count. The silence was so uncomfortable that his antennas drooped with it. They reached the transporter mercifully quickly and stepped up onto it.

"Well, have fun." Trip smiled, beginning the energising. Shran was glad to be off the ship, it was too warm sometimes for him to deal with. The cold make Soval shiver slightly, and his eyes flew everywhere, wide and curious. His antennas arched forward curiously and he cocked his head to the side. His hands gripped onto Shran's shirt tighter and he let out a string of babbling. Shran smiled at him and nuzzled lightly against the side of his head. His son was adorable, although he wasn't about to say that out loud in front of T'Pol. It'd probably freak her out.

"Come on, this way."

They were quick to arrive in the city and they walked to his home. The crowds were massive and Thy'lek had to latch onto T'Pol's wrist or else she'd get lost. He was careful not to touch her skin, grabbing her over her uniforms material. He burrowed his way through the crowds, responding to greetings of people he knew, which was most of the city. Andorians were close-knit communities, and kept in close contact with their roots, so most of these people were ones he'd known since he was a child. It took far longer to get to his house during the rush of mid-morning than it had taken him to get out of the city, but they managed to get there within half an hour. He pushed open the door and held it for her as she stepped inside.

"Lissiel! Senkrad! Are you here?"

"AH! In here!" called Senkrad from the training room after a cry of pain. Thy'lek walked over and pushed this door open too. Lissiel and Senkrad were wrestling and Lissiel had Senkrad in a painful lock. "Ah! Alright Lis! Alright I give!" Senkrad exclaimed, and Lissiel released him. He groaned as he stood up and rubbed his shoulders. "I hate when you do that."

"And I love when I do that." she smirked. Thy'lek cleared his throat and acquired their attention. However it was quickly diverted to the baby in his arms. They both beamed radiant smiles.

"Let's see him!" Senkrad exclaimed, hurrying over, Lissiel right behind him. Thy'lek carefully held Soval out and, cradling him in his hands, displayed him to his siblings. They both made sounds of delight. "Hello there, little one." Senkrad said softly, slipping his finger into Soval's hand. Soval brought the finger to his mouth and Senkrad quickly pulled it away before his finger was sucked. Lissiel put a hand on Soval's arm.

"He's so beautiful." she gasped, and then looked up at Thy'lek, "Unlike you. I mean you were quite possibly the ugliest baby I've ever seen."

"Yes, so you've told me a million times before." Thy'lek responded dryly,

"Well I feel the need to reaffirm the fact."

"And you have."

"He doesn't have our eyes." Senkrad noticed, breaking off a potential argument. "His eyes aren't like ours or father's at all."

"No he's got his mother's eyes." Thy'lek turned to T'Pol who seemed uncomfortable. "This is T'Pol. Soval's mother." Senkrad smiled at her warmly,

"It's nice to meet you T'Pol." he told her cordially. Thank the spirits for Senkrad, the only reasonable one in the whole family. Lissiel gave her a brief nod and Thy'lek fought to not roll his eyes, he was doing that far too much today. Trust his sister, she was as bad as him.

"And you." T'Pol responded.

"Come on," Thy'lek said, "let's all sit in the main room." They silently filed out and sat down, Thy'lek and T'Pol on one and Senkrad and Lissiel on the other. His sister draped herself over the couch, legs elegantly curling under her. Senkrad simply flopped onto the couch. Thy'lek sat down carefully, mindful of the baby, and T'Pol sat neatly, with her hands in her lap. Thy'lek set the baby in his lap and leaned back. Soval stuck a finger in his mouth and sucked on it as he stared wide-eyed at his aunt and uncle who both grinned, their antennas curling inwards with glee.

"He's sweet." smiled Senkrad, "He reminds me of you."

"You were three when he was that age, how do you remember?" Lissiel asked scornfully. Thy'lek shook his head,

"I remember plenty from that age. Including the time you deliberately dropped him on his head." Senkrad said smirking,

"I did no such thing." Lissiel denied calmly, inspecting her nails as she spoke.

"Oh please Lissiel, even I know about that and I was the one you did it to and only one when you did it. You held me by the ankles and dropped me, I've still got a small mark on my head from it."

"I did not!" Lissiel exclaimed more forcefully.

"Did too!" Thy'lek returned, prepared to argue with her.

"Let's not make our guest regret coming please." Senkrad quickly said, stepping in. T'Pol was looking at Lissiel very warily now.

"Oh don't worry T'Pol, she only dropped me, she's never injured any of our nieces or nephews, so she won't hurt Soval." Thy'lek reassured her. T'Pol didn't seem comforted.

"Have you told Sak or San yet?" Senkrad asked,

"No, not yet, it slipped my mind." Thy'lek admitted, "I'll call them tonight."

"I cannot wait to see San's reaction. It's going to be brilliant." Senkrad laughed. Thy'lek grinned as he pictured it himself, oh yes, that would be a picture worthy moment. Lissiel chuckled quietly, her lips quirking into a small smile of amusement. "So T'Pol, you're the science officer and first officer of Enterprise?" Senkrad smiled at her pleasantly

"Yes, I am."

"So we can expect Soval to be good at science, with our mother and you both being involved in the subject."

"Perhaps, but whatever he chooses to do would be acceptable, as long as it satisfies him."

"You mean if he decided to join the Imperial Guard you'd be all right with that?" asked Lissiel. Thy'lek felt his antennas tingle with warning, "If he became a military officer, you would be all right with that?" T'Pol flattened her lips and then said

"I would accept it. It would be his choice."

"But you'd rather he choose something more Vulcan, wouldn't you."

"It is not my decision. My duty is to raise him properly and provide for him and to give him as many options as possible."

"Raise him? You mean like a Vulcan." Lissiel's antennas reared back. Senkrad frowned worriedly and shot Thy'lek as look.

"I will teach him Vulcan ideals. Just as your brother will no doubt teach him Andorian ideals." Lissiel and T'Pol stared at each other carefully. Thy'lek swallowed, feeling anger rise up inside him at his sister for ruining such an important event with petty bitterness. The worst was that it was his own fault. Lissiel opened her mouth and Thy'lek reacted. He stood up sharply, and quickly gave Soval to T'Pol.

"Lissiel, a word. Now!" he growled. She looked at him, slow to tear her eyes from T'Pol's, and then stood up. He jerked his head to the kitchen and they walked over and stepped behind the cabinets "What is the matter with you?" he hissed furiously,

"I would think it was fairly obvious. To bring one to our house-"

"Don't even start!" he interrupted, "That is the mother of my son and as such you will treat her with respect, if for no other reason."

"She did not give birth to him. I owe her nothing. She's a Vulcan, or have you become blind to that with all your talking?"

"Believe me I haven't. But I have learned to try and put my feelings for them aside and develop new ones. 'Stale emotions are unpleasant, no matter the original feeling'." he quoted the famous phrase from one of the most renown poems on Andoria. She huffed, folding her arms. "Look Lissiel, I understand I cannot ask you to turn off your feelings. No one can do that." Lissiel opened her mouth, "Not even a Vulcan. But I am asking you to try to be welcoming to her, or at the very least civil! T'Pol is Soval's mother so she's going to be around a good bit, so get used to it." He shouldn't have said that last part. She slapped him sharply across the face, making him spin around and crash into the counter. He whirled around and grabbed her wrist, twisting it viciously, and pulling it behind her. "Be angry with me if you have to. I can take it like I always have. But not a word of cruelty to T'Pol. You hear me!" He jerked her arm when she didn't answer quick enough.

"I understand." she spat, and she pulled her arm free. Glaring at him viciously she stalked out of the house, slamming the door as she went. Soval began to cry out of fright of the loud noise. T'Pol stared at the ground, and Senkrad shook his head. Thy'lek kicked the cupboard nearest to him angrily, and then huffed loudly. He looked at T'Pol, who was rocking Soval, soothing him. His antennas moved from the back of his head, to droop sideways slightly. He couldn't believe it but he felt guilty for upsetting her. It wasn't even his fault! He sighed and then walked over and sat down, resisting the urge to fold his arms tight across his chest, slouch in his seat and scowl like a child. He had to keep his control and decorum, there was no way that he would show her how angry he was. He clasped his hands together and then said stiffly,

"I'm sorry about Lissiel, she's… not fond of Vulcans." He decided not to admit that most of her anger was his fault. His cheek tingled from being struck.

"It is understandable. We've been at war for so long." T'Pol reasoned politely. Thy'lek decided not to correct her. Senkrad shot him a look, obviously knowing what was going on in his head. He always did.

"Would you like a drink T'Pol?" he offered.

"Please." She nodded her head and stopped rocking Soval as he quieted. Senkrad stood up and walked into the kitchen and they could hear him moving around, pulling things out. Thy'lek shifted and then asked

"Is Soval alright?"

"I believe he was merely frightened by the noise. Would you like to hold him again?" Thy'lek smiled and nodded, holding out his hands. T'Pol passed him over and he held the baby close to his chest for a moment. Soval gurgled softly and nuzzled his face into Thy'lek's chest. A warmth spread throughout his body and he grinned. The feeling was like when he was holding his nieces and nephews, or playing with them, only stronger. He hugged the baby gently but tightly. He couldn't even begin to explain how he felt. Happy beyond anything he could remember, still shocked by the whole thing, a tad nervous of how his government was going to react, and worried about whether he'd be a good parent or not. He tried to rationalise that he would be, he was good with children, he knew it, his family knew it, hell they took advantage of it, so he'd be fine. Still the anxiousness didn't quite disappear. Senkrad returned with three glasses of red-purple liquid. Thy'lek perked up at once.

"Here you go." Senkrad handed them each a glass and sipped from his own. T'Pol stared at the drink, perplexed.

"It's Penainan juice T'Pol. Try it! It's good!" Thy'lek drank deeply, half emptying his glass. The slightly sweet taste tingled on his tongue while the sour aftertaste dried the back of his throat. He licked his lips, a slight smile on them. Penainan juice was his favourite drink, even more than Andorian ale, although that was a close, close second. Penainan juice always cheered him up for some reason. Looking at Soval he saw the baby was gazing at the drink hungrily. "I think Soval wants some. I'll just get him a bottle." He stood up and, carrying Soval in one arm, he walked into the kitchen. With one hand he pulled out a bottle and filled it with juice and then put the nozzle on. He popped it into Soval's mouth and the baby sucked greedily, his hands curling around the bottle to ensure it went nowhere. As they returned, Thy'lek noticed T'Pol was staring at the bottle with some confusion. "We often have our nieces and nephews around, and three of them still need bottles."

"I see." she nodded with what may have been approval. Thy'lek felt a little annoyed about that but he decided not to think about why.

"Sooo," Senkrad trailed off, trying to think of something to say. He obviously couldn't think of anything because he didn't speak again. The silence between the three was almost unbearable and Thy'lek busied himself with watching Soval drink the juice. What the hell do you say to a woman who's just dumped a child into your life? What kind of conversations do you have with a Vulcan besides work? That was all he ever really talked about with elder Soval. Oh spirits how would Soval react to this story? Probably with a heart attack if Thy'lek was lucky.

The silence was broken by a rapid knocking on the door, making all three jump.

"Are you expecting someone Sen?" Thy'lek asked, looking at his brother questioningly.

"No." Senkrad stood up and walked over. He opened the door and nearly got trampled by little feet as five children ran through the door. "What the-" Senkrad's question was cut off as he was shoved aside by Sakrana. Her hair was pulled back and twisted up, and she looked anxious. Thy'lek stood up, his stomach jumping. He was tackled by the children as he did. They clung to his legs and waist eagerly,

"Sak! What's-"

"There's a massive problem going on in the department. The shield modifications aren't working as they're supposed to, it's an urgent problem. I need you to take the children."

"What's wrong with Ducheddet, you know, your husband?"

"He's out of the city on business, has been for the last three days. I told you that!"

"Oh right, I forgot."

"Look I'll probably only be gone a few hours, just mind them until then."

"Alright, alright then we will."

"Thank you." she sighed in relief and then noticed T'Pol and Soval. She raised an eyebrow at Soval, "Who's that?"

"This is Soval, my son." Thy'lek told her bluntly. She blinked at him, and then blinked again.

"Whaaat?" she asked, her mouth hanging open slightly. It was very tempting to reach out and close it.

"My son." Thy'lek repeated slowly, "And this is his mother, T'Pol." T'Pol nodded to Sakrana, who was still gapping at Thy'lek.

"It is agreeable to meet you."

"Uh huh." Sakrana said dazedly. Thy'lek was trying will all his will power not to laugh. His sister looked like she'd had a few too many, the way she looked so dazed. "I uh, I'm not sure…" she tried to form a sentence and failed miserably. It was amusing to see the most composed of his siblings so thrown.

"I'll explain later on. Haven't you got to go?"

"Yes, yes, right, I'll uh… talk to you later." Sakrana slowly backed out still looking utterly dazed. Senkrad was fighting to hide his smile as he shut the door, and then he burst out laughing.

"That was brilliant! I've never seen her so shocked before!"

"Uncle Thy'lek?" one of his nephews asked, tugging on his shirt.

"Yes, Mey?"

"Is that really your son?" he asked, pointing at Soval. Thy'lek crouched down so that they could see him better and said

"Yes. He is my son."

"But how? You're not married."

"I know. But I don't think you'd believe me if I told you how this was achieved."

"Is it a good story?"

"A very good one, but maybe later all right?"

"Is she really the mother?" Avena asked, pointing at T'Pol. Thy'lek fought not to laugh at her bluntness.

"Yes, she is. Her name is T'Pol. And this is Soval."

"She's a Vulcan." Thy'lek saw Senkrad scrunch his face lightly at the accusatory tone. Thy'lek smiled lightly at her.

"Yes, she is. Which makes Soval half-Vulcan and half Andorian." Avena pursed her lips in a manner just like Lissiel's.

"I like the Andorian half of him at least." she said finally, before walking away into the room where all the toys and games were kept, her siblings following her, although Erib stayed behind long enough to pat Soval's arm and squeeze Thy'lek's hand in his smaller one. Thy'lek smiled at him caringly and then Erib hurried away. Thy'lek straightened up and shared a smile with Senkrad, then turned to T'Pol,

"Don't mind Avena, she's got a knack for blunt, honest rudeness."

"I've noted that most children do." T'Pol answered, "Your sister did not seem to take the news well."

"Nah, she was just shocked, she'll get over it." Thy'lek said smirking, "When she does, she'll be fine. And Sanakral… well he'll be fine once he stops hyperventilating." Senkrad snickered, covering his mouth with his hand. "I'll call him now and tell him, before he hears about it from someone else. Can Sen hold Soval?" Why did he ask T'Pol? Soval was as much his son as hers.

"Of course." T'Pol nodded and Thy'lek passed Soval to an eager Senkrad who instantly began cooing to him. Thy'lek went into his bedroom after saying,

"I'll be right back."

* * *

"But, how, what-"

"San, you're babbling." Thy'lek cut in smiling at his brother.

"You just told me you have a child Thy'lek! I'm entitled to babble!" Sanakral snapped sharply, wide eyed. "How the hell-?"

"I just told you, alternate reality!"

"Have you had a test done to confirm it?"

"Do we have them?"

"Yes to confirm bodies, you idiot! We can use the same technique to confirm that the child's really yours!"

"But-"

"Honestly Thy'lek, how could you accept this without proof? You of all people!"

"I…" Thy'lek trailed off and sighed, "I just… believe them San. I'm sure he's mine! He's got the same birth mark as I do."

"A tailless wumvin?"

"An exact copy!"

"Spirits." Sanakral breathed then shook his head, "We'll need to do a test and then, if the child is yours, then we'll need to figure something out."

"What do you mean?" Thy'lek frowned, hating the way his brother could make him feel completely out of a loop.

"Wake up Thy'lek! What do you think will happen when the Enterprise leaves the system? The child will go with them!"

"What? NO!" Thy'lek cried in alarm, his eyes massive in horror.

"They will if you don't do something!" Sanakral leaned forward so his face was filling the screen, "You'll have to take this to the law!"

"What? But I… do we even have laws dealing with this sort of thing?" Sanakral sighed,

"I'll help you Thy'lek, but you'll have to tread carefully. Request the test first, then… we'll see." Thy'lek swallowed, feeling very upset all of a sudden, the thought of loosing the child he'd only just found actually scared him. He shook his head vigorously,

"I won't let them take my son from me!" he snarled

"And if he is yours I'll help you stop them, but you have to stay calm, you well know things with the Vulcans are still fairly tense and this…" Sanakral sat back, and shrugged, knowing that Thy'lek understood. He then cut the link.

"Well that went well." Thy'lek nearly jumped out of his skin.

"SEN!" he spluttered, "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Sorry, I did knock." Senkrad apologised, leaning against the shut door. "T'Pol didn't hear I think. She's minding Soval, she insisted on changing him herself, although she had quite a face on her."

"I can imagine." Thy'lek ruffled his hair angrily, "Damnit! Why did San have to ruin everything?"

"He's only speaking logi-" Senkrad halted before he could complete the word at Thy'lek's warning glare. "He's only being reasonable." he amended. "This would have come up eventually. The sooner the better I'd say. It'll probably be easier in the long run." Thy'lek scowled deeply and crossed his arms, bowing his head. He felt Senkrad touch his upper arm and then reach out to loosen his arms, setting them down at his side. This odd little action was something his brother had always done and it had always helped him calm. He drew in a deep breath and then closed his eyes, feeling his brother hug him tightly, his hand clapping his back lightly. He sighed heavily and hugged him back, gripping back tight, resting his forehead on Senkrad's shoulder for a moment, taking in deep breaths to sooth the sudden wave of heaviness that crashed upon him. "You'll be alright baby brother. I know you will."

"I'm tired Sen." he murmured softly, "I'm so tired."

"I know. You'll be alright. I promise. I'll make sure of it." Thy'lek shifted, and rested the side of his head on his brother's shoulder, feeling safe for a moment. Senkrad rubbed his back lightly and then they pulled apart. Thy'lek drew in a deep breath and then his shoulders relaxed slightly.

"Alright. Let's get back out there before Avena decides to start playing with one of our Ushaan-tor, and then decides to try it out on T'Pol."

"Yes, that might not go well." Senkrad nodded, and they walked out to the main room. T'Pol came back out of the playroom where they kept all the things for changing the children, Soval in her arms, letting out a noise of pleasure, no doubt at being clean again.

"Did your brother accept the news?" she asked as she came to a stop beside him.

"He… well he said I should have a test done to confirm paternity, and I've agreed."

"I thought you believed us."

"I do, but Sanakral doesn't, this is really for his peace of mind."

"I see." she nodded, then looked towards the playroom where the children were laughing and playing. "I believe Soval and I should return to Enterprise, he is tired, and I have work to complete." At once Thy'lek felt his stomach jump. She was taking his son away! No, no, she wasn't going to leave orbit, she was just going back to the Enterprise. He forced himself to stay calm, but his brother's words rang in his head. He swallowed hard, and nodded

"Alright. I'll, I'll contact our family doctor to run the test, but it might be a day or two. Dr. Asiles is a very busy man, and I'd rather he do the test."

"Of course." she nodded. Thy'lek looked at her and then at Soval hopefully. She must have understood what he was asking her because she passed him to Thy'lek. Soval looked up at him curiously and then reached out with a drool covered hand, trying to touch his face. Thy'lek smiled lovingly down at him, and held him close for a moment, taking in the baby's scent, before reluctantly, painfully, he passed him back to T'Pol, fighting the urge to snatch him back and hold him to him and never let him go. She settled him and then bid them goodbye. Senkrad shut the door behind her as Thy'lek felt like his feet were stuck to the floor. He bit his lip painfully, fighting the impulse, the instinct to run after her and take Soval back. He would see him tomorrow! That wasn't very far away. Yet counting the hours, the minutes ahead, and to Thy'lek it felt like he had to wait an eternity. Senkrad gave him a worried look and stayed in front of the door, blocking his way, as if reading his mind.

"It will be alright baby brother, I promise you." he said softly. Thy'lek looked at him and nodded stiffly, his jaw tight. Suddenly he felt a small hand tug on his trousers. He looked down and smiled at Erib.

"What is it Erib?"

"Uncle Thy'lek, will you play with us?" Thy'lek stared at him for a moment, just looking him over and then he grinned and swooped down, scooping the boy up.

"Sure, what do you want to play? Tie Uncle Senkrad up and make him eat Kaiel flowers?" Senkrad made a strangled noise behind him as Erib giggled.

"We want to play a fantasy game!" he said still giggling, "We want to play make believe."

"Oh really? Well then lets see what we can come up with." Thy'lek said as he walked into the playroom, leaving his worries at the door. "Coming Sen?"

"Sure. But I'm not playing the hapless emperor in need of saving again!"

"Aw, but you're so good at it!" Thy'lek whined as he knelt among the children, setting Erib in his lap. His brother grinned as he followed him inside the playroom, shutting the door behind him. "So what do you want to be?"

"I'm a Guardsman!" exclaimed Avena, brandishing her Ushaan-tor eagerly, nearly catching her brother who leapt out of her way at the last second.

"I'm an Iehista!" Erib cried, throwing his arms out and flapping them, as if they were wings. The other children exclaimed what they were.

"What about you Uncle Thy'lek?" Thy'lek arched an eyebrow in thought and then grinned,

"I'm a zabanthu that's lost its rider!" he cackled, going down on hands and knees and snorting comically, rubbing the top of his head into Mey's chest making him squeal in delight. "I need someone to get on my back before I run away!" he scrambled away from the group, heading for the door, but the children pounced on him and he felt two of them climb onto his back and grip his shirt. He pretended to not like this and began bucking around, letting out convincing snorts. Senkrad was gripping his sides as he howled with laughter. Thy'lek grinned wickedly as he tackled his brother sharply and began tickling him mercilessly. Senkrad squawked and writhed madly,

"Stop Thy'lek! Stop please!"

"Nuh uh big brother! I'm afraid I can't do that. My new masters forbid it." The two children that were still on his back giggled and he felt one dig their heels into his sides.

"Keep it up Uncle Thy'lek! Keep tickling him!" Ah, Erib was on his back, he realised as he watched his brother's face darken, getting deeper and deeper as he gasped for air, breathless from laughing. He could hear the other children crying encouragement, and then Avena leaped forward helping him, until poor Senkrad was blood blue. Thy'lek knew then that was enough. "Alright, let him up. He's suffered enough." He pulled away from his brother and crawled away, until he felt Senkrad grab his ankle and he slipped, landing on his chest. Erib and the other child on his back made exclamations of protest and then abruptly fell silent. Warningly silent. Then the giggles started, and Thy'lek looked over his shoulder to see Senkrad grinning like a skull, which was a very alarming look on his normally relatively mild and gentle brother.

"I'm going to punish you for that baby brother." he said evilly and then he pulled at Thy'lek's boot.

"NO!" Thy'lek exclaimed, trying to reclaim his foot. He was unsuccessful.

* * *

I just had to have a sweet moment, I just had to, lol. Sorry if Shran seems OOC, but I can just see him acting this way with his family.

As for reviews, please see above Author Note.

Night's Darkness


	5. Chapter 5

Updating time! Lol. :-( I was sad that I got no reviews for my last chapter, as I really enjoyed writing all of it. Oh well I hope people are sticking with this fic, and continue to enjoy it.

* * *

**Chapter 5**

When Sakrana arrived at her old family home, the home she'd grown up in, eight hours later than she'd expected to be, she received no answer to her knocks, and so simply unlocked the door and went inside. She noted the slight mess of the normally tidy main area. Cushions were thrown around the room, and a few things had fallen. It was deathly quiet in the house. Antennas quirked in curiosity she walked to the playroom and carefully and silently pushed the door open. She grinned broadly when she looked inside. Seven people, five children and two full-grown men, were splayed out on the floor, all sound asleep. Erib was resting his head on Thy'lek's chest, his thumb in his mouth. Avena was curled up at Thy'lek's side, his arm around her. Mey was asleep on his front, head on Senkrad's shoulder. Sakrana's youngest, Jhe'lek, only three, was lying on top of Senkrad's chest, rising and falling as her uncle breathed. And Nairon was curled up between Sakrana's two younger brothers, who were sleeping side by side. Sakrana bit her lip and decided to leave them to sleep.

'_Now where does Thy'lek keep his imaging device?'_ she wondered as she went into his bedroom to search for it. When she'd finished taking pictures with the device, she made herself something to drink, and after finding a book in the main room she began to read it, willing to wait a while until her brothers woke up or her sister came home. She wanted to ask someone about this child Thy'lek claimed was his. As it turned out Lissiel came home first and Sakrana shushed her urgently, unwilling to wake them. After they shared a laugh at the image, Lissiel, slight tipsy from having been out drinking with her friends, as usual, told her the story of Soval. Sakrana listened patiently and then said

"I take it you were your usual charming self with the Vulcan?" Lissiel narrowed her eyes.

"To bring one to the house-"

"Lissiel, this is a tricky situation, nothing like this has ever happened in the history of Andoria." Sakrana cut in, keeping her voice down, "Thy'lek's probably anxious and concerned with all the issues he'll have to deal with such as how people are going to react to this." Sakrana set her drink down, staring her sister hard in the eyes, "There are people on Andoria that still harbour great hatred for Vulcans, and although they won't harm Soval, they still might make things difficult for Thy'lek. Lissiel, you once told me, years ago that you regretted ever being horrible to Thy'lek and you wished to make it up to him."

"I did, didn't I? I was the one who-"

"We all had a hand in that. Lissiel, you know Thy'lek as well as I do, and you know that he's going to be a mess of emotions. He'll need everyone's support, and the one thing he certainly won't need is you insulting the mother of his newfound child."

"Then you don't hate the Vulcans anymore?" hissed Lissiel, her eyes furious and bitter, "After everything they did!"

"I hate the Vulcans that commanded the ship that kill our brother. I hate the Vulcans that took Thy'lek away from us, and I hate the ones that hurt him. But I don't hate all Vulcans anymore. I'm willing to try to like them, if only to help Thy'lek move on with his life. If he can aside all his anger, his pain, and bitterness and sit beside a Vulcan and talk to him and even like him, then you can at least be polite to the one who's now the mother of a new member of our family." Lissiel stared at the counter, a stubborn look on her face. Sakrana finished her drink and set the empty glass down. "I'm going to leave the children here. I'll come by in the morning with their school uniforms and bags. I'd just let them be, although maybe put a cushion under Thy'lek and Senkrad's heads or else they'll be very sore in the morning." Lissiel nodded, still staring at the counter. "Goodnight Lissiel." She nodded again and then looked at her briefly. Sakrana could see her words had hit her sister the way she'd hoped. Sakrana left, picking a flower as she left the garden, as was her habit, back to her strangely empty house, leaving her sister to think and re-evaluated her opinions.

* * *

_Big brown eyes stared up at her._

"_Hello. I am your mother." _

"_Your child is safe and sound, FINALLY sleeping through the night." _

"_We could have more. That's sort of comforting."_

"_You will need a name." _

_A tiny hand reached out for her. She reached out to it, knowing she had to grasp it and never let it go. _

"_Please save my son." _

"_He needs a bond."_

"_Hello. I am your mother."_

_A new hand appeared. A blue hand. It wrapped around the baby girl, Elizabeth, and pulled her away from her. She reached out as far as she could but could not reach her daughter. Suddenly Elizabeth changed. Her skin turned to aquamarine, antennas sprouted on her head, but the eyes remained the same. The aquamarine hand reached out to her but the blue hands pulled Soval away from her. _

"_Hello. I am your father."

* * *

_

T'Pol awoke with a jolt. She rolled out of the bed and bolted to the crib in her quarters. Soval slept on peacefully, unaware of his mother's unsettling dream. She felt her body relax slightly and then she went and sat down on the bed. She closed her eyes and willed her emotions to settle. She was confused as to how she'd had such a vivid dream as she'd meditated before she went to bed like she always did. The dream flashed through her mind again with such a force she almost jumped. She stood up again and walked back to the crib and stared down at the baby.

Soval snuffled slightly in his sleep and then one hand awkwardly rubbed at his face. His little eyes opened and met hers. She stared at him, seeing her own eyes staring back. He suddenly smiled at her and reached a hand out to her. She found herself reaching down and slipping two fingers into his small hand. He gripped them tightly and she felt a tingle as his emotions touched her. He was happy to see her. She found herself… feeling oddly touched by this.

Reaching down she hooked her hands under his arms and lifted him up. He reached out and touched her cheek, his little nails lightly scratching her cheek. She took the hand and held it within her own. Soval let out a little babble, and he smiled at her, or at least she assumed he was smiling at her. She sat down on the bed and crossed her legs, then let Soval sit between them, letting him lie back on one crooked knee, like he was in a hammock. He clapped his hands together once and then stared at his now clasped hands in fascination. He twisted them this way and that as if he was trying to figure out how the limbs had joined together like that. She suddenly found herself raising her own hands and clapping them together lightly, just enough to make a sound. Soval jumped and looked up at her wide eyed. She stared back, not sure why she'd just done that. Soval clapped his hands together again, and again. His fingers were splayed out and it was more like his hands were slapping each other back and forward, but he seemed delighted.

T'Pol clapped her hands again and Soval clapped back. T'Pol clapped twice and Soval clapped twice and then laughed, kicking his legs, his feet pushing against her knee. She wasn't sure how long this game was played, but eventually he seemed to tire and he nestled into her leg-nest yawning widely, his little tongue sticking out, revealing his gummy mouth. She reached out and touched his antennas, stroking them softly and he seemed to enjoy this immensely. His emotions were touching her and she didn't feel uncomfortable with them, as she knew she would if she and Shran happened to touch skin. She suddenly felt something else, but it wasn't from him. It was from herself. Protectiveness. She thought of Paxton and of Elizabeth. Then she lifted Soval up and said softly

"I will not allow anyone to harm you or take you from me." Soval stared at her and then reached out and pulled her hair.

* * *

"Do you think it'll be an issue with the Commander?"

"I don't think so. I mean Shran loves any opportunity to brag, so he'll probably have no problem taking us on a tour. I'm gonna ask him now, but I just wanted to see who wants to go. I've got Trip and Malcolm and Travis. Can I count you in?" Archer grinned at Hoshi and she smiled back,

"Oh ok. I have to admit I am curious."

"You'll like it down there, it's very beautiful, all that ice and snow, it's like something out of the Ice Queen story."

"Sounds like a good place to spend Christmas." Trip chuckled,

"You're not wrong." Archer agreed. "Hoshi, would you contact Shran's home? After yesterday I want to make sure he knows we're coming." Hoshi nodded and keyed in a few commands into her consol. It beeped as it made contact. There was no answer. Archer furrowed his brow. "What time is it on Andoria?"

"1600 hours, midday."

"It's not early… I wonder what's taking so long. Try again Hoshi." She did and this time she nodded, getting a response. "On screen." She nodded again and switched on the viewer.

"Yes?" asked the man who answered. It was Shran's brother and Archer was struck again by just how much the two resembled each other. "Oh, Captain Archer." he smiled pleasantly, "Looking for Thy'lek?" There was a crash as the words left his mouth. He glanced to his right briefly before looking back at the screen.

"Yes please, unless this is a bad time."

"Not at all. One minute." Senkrad said and then walked out of view. They could hear raised voices, people were shouting at each other and then there was a crash. Archer shared a look with Trip, wondering what was going on. Then Shran appeared in the screen, breathing heavily, a thin sheen of sweat on his brow.

"What is it pink-skin?" he asked, glancing back at something, as there was another crash.

"This is a bad time isn't it?"

"Nah, we're just sparring." he said airily, then ducked as something flew at him, just missing him. "Lissiel! No throwing things!" he yelled before looking back to Archer with an incredulous look. "Honestly, she always breaks the rules." Archer was nonplussed about how to respond to that, so he quickly redirected the conversation.

"I was wondering if you would mind taking me and a few of my people on a tour of the city, show us what there is to see and do. But if this a bad time-"

"Give me an hour and then come to my house, I'll take you, but not right now." He ducked another throw object, which had looked suspiciously like a Klingon dagger. "Oh I don't believe this! I don't mess with her weapons! Why does she always mess with mine? I have to go captain. One hour."

"Gotcha." Archer barely had time to get the words out before Shran cut the link. Trip bit his lip, sniggering loudly. "Shut up Trip."

* * *

An hour later they were in the city and, after getting a little lost once, they got to Shran's house. It sounded like things had calmed, as there were no noises coming from the house that suggested murder was occurring. Archer knocked on the door rapidly and then stepped back. The door opened and Senkrad smiled at them.

"Good afternoon captain, please come in."

"Thank you. And please, call me Jon." Archer told him as they filed inside. The others got their first look at Shran's house as Senkrad nodded.

"All right Jon. And the rest of you?" Each of them introduced themselves. Archer noticed the sound of beautiful music coming from one of the rooms. He also noticed the absence of anyone else in the main room. "Thy'lek!" Senkrad called. The music stopped at once.

"What?" Shran called back,

'_No way!'_ Archer thought to himself. _'He couldn't have been.'_

"Captain Archer and his crew are here."

"Oh. Coming!" a door opened and Shran came out. He was dressed again in black trousers and boots, but had swapped his sea green shirt for a high necked, blood blue shirt made of silk that hugged the body, outlining his muscles and toned torso. It was extremely striking and Archer had to blink twice when he saw him. "Afternoon pink-skin." he greeted cheerfully.

"Afternoon. Thanks for doing this. We appreciate it."

"Ah, never mind, its something to do. And thank you for calling ahead this time." Archer flushed,

"Yeah, sorry about that."

"Forget about it, could have been worse. I'd take Sanakral pulling me out of my bed to Lissiel's methods any day." Senkrad shook his head,

"She really needs to stop jumping on you to wake you up. She's going to give you a concussion one of these days." Shran raised an eyebrow at his brother in a manner that seemed decidedly Vulcan. Archer decided not to mention it.

"Sen, she sent me flying across the room where I split my skull open and spent two days unconscious. And you're worried about a concussion?" Senkrad pursed his lips.

"I see your point."

"I'm glad."

"You know, you two make me sound far worse than I really am." Lissiel said as she came out of her bedroom, and brush in one hand and clips in the other. She put these in Shran's hands and turned her back to him.

"No we don't." the brothers both said as Shran began to brush his sisters hair out.

"I'm not that bad."

"Yes you are." they said firmly and Shran asked

"What am I doing here?"

"Just put it up out of the way, I can never get it all up." Shran sighed and shook his head then winced and rubbed his neck.

"I'm never sleeping on the floor again!" he declared as he gathered her long hair into a twist and flipped it up so it was pulled into a twisted knot. He then secured it with the clips. Archer questioned his vision. "There Lis, that's done."

"Thanks. Oh I'm excited about today. We're hopefully gonna get him walking today." she grinned at them all and then breezed out. It was the only word for the way she seemed to glide out on a breath of air.

"What did she mean by that?"

"Lissiel is a physiotherapist, one of her current patients hasn't walked in a while. Apparently that might be changing today."

"Isn't it a violation of doctor-patient confidentiality that she told you that?" Malcolm asked, frowning lightly.

"Not when we know who she's dealing with ourselves. He's a friend of ours, most of the people in the city are." Senkrad shrugged. Shran suddenly frowned and regarded his brother like he'd only just realised he was there.

"Don't you have work?"

"Don't you?"

"We called a week long recess."

"I'm not needed on the cliffs today."

"Oh."

"Cliffs?" asked Travis eagerly.

"The ice cliffs, just north of the city. I work there, I'm a climbing instructor."

"Oh, cool!" Travis grinned broadly, "Is it anything like rock climbing?" Shran snorted before Senkrad could answer.

"Sen here has never even seen a rock cliff with his own eyes. He's afraid of space travel so he's never been to a planet that has them. But yes it is more or less the same."

"Well maybe you wouldn't mind showing me how." Travis smiled at Senkrad who nodded,

"I'd be glad to." Shran frowned again.

"Where's T'Pol and Soval?" he asked, sounding a little crestfallen. Archer shifted where he stood feeling uncomfortable.

"She uh… she said she had work to do, so she'd stay on Enterprise." Shran looked visibly disappointed.

"Oh." His antennas drooped a little and then he sighed and turned to his brother, "Are you coming with us?"

"Nah, I think I'll stay here, finish up some drawings. I'm way overdue for a touch up on them."

"Suit yourself. I've got my communicator if you need me."

"I know. It was nice to finally meet you Jon, Thy'lek's told me all about the trouble you get him into."

"Trouble _I_ get _him_ into?"

"I'm glad you agree pink-skin. Now come on, you said you wanted a tour, so hurry up!" Shran walked past them and out the door, calling goodbye to Senkrad. Archer shook his head and followed him with the others right behind him. "We'll go to the city centre, the shops are all open at this hour."

"Sounds good." They made their way down and into the lively crowd. People were walking around, all well dressed, cheerful and smiling as they went. For some reason this was not what Archer had expected. True he'd no idea what to expect but this was probably the last thing that would have come to his mind.

"Hmm, it's quiet enough today, then again, everyone's at work." Shran said more to himself. Archer looked at him bewilderedly. He'd have called this busy, not quiet. "Anywhere you want to go in particular?"

"Well I'm all out of Andorian Ale so maybe somewhere we can get it." Shran looked at him bewilderedly,

"I gave you five bottles after you stopped V'Las, you drank them all since then?"

"Well I had four. The fifth I um, gave to your counterpart." Shran's face seemed to tighten at the mention of the other Thy'lek.

"Oh." he said, going quiet for a moment. It was clear he was uncomfortable with that topic. "Well, uh, you can get Ale over here." He led them to a shop that was crammed with bottles of all shapes, sizes and colours. The shopkeeper looked up as they entered and smiled, "Welcome. Thy'lek. You want your usual things?"

"Come here often?" Archer grinned. Shran smirked,

"I liked to keep the Kumari well stocked." Archer didn't miss the flash of pain behind the smirk in his eyes. "And no Jelit, Pink-skin wants some Ale I think." Archer nodded behind him.

"Ale eh? My most popular drink among aliens." Jelit chuckled at Archer's expression and Shran grinned at him too. "Thy'lek always uses it when he encounters alien species." Shran shrugged at Archer's bewildered look, a small, amused smile on his lips.

"You didn't think you were the only one did you pink-skin?"

"I really shouldn't have."

"Granted, I don't usually drink the whole bottle with them like we have." Archer flushed at that. Technically he should never drink that much on the ship. Jelit walked over to a shelf that was groaning under the weight of countless bottles of blue drink.

"Hmm." he tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Thy'lek, which year do you think would be best for… I didn't get your name."

"Jonathon Archer."

"Ah, well, Jonathon Archer, do you have any idea which year you'd like?"

"Uh…" Archer shrugged, "I'm not up on the finer points of Andorian Ale."

"In other words you haven't a clue?" Jelit chuckled in amusement. "Well let me see. May as well give you the same year I give Thy'lek."

"It's a good year. Don't make it sound bad." Shran said with a grin. Jelit took down a bottle and gave it to Archer,

"Oh I'd never dream of it. Now come here Thy'lek." He went behind the counter and drew something out from under it. The bottle was small enough, only about half the size of a regular wine bottle and the liquid in it was a glowing yellow.

"What the seas of hell…?" Shran picked up the bottle and held it up to the light.

"Its new, only just got it in."

"Looks like radioactive waste." Shran said setting it down.

"You know I always sample a bottle myself before putting something on the market."

"Mm hm, you sample so much it's a wonder you're ever sober." Shran smirked. "No thanks Jelit, I'm adventurous, not suicidal."

"With you that's a very fine line that you don't balance very well on." Jelit countered with an amused smile. Shran smirked at him wider and then stepped away from the counter.

"You lot going to buy anything or are you just going to let pink-skin have all the fun?" he asked the others who started to look around a little more freely.

"How do I pay you exactly?" Archer asked, walking over to the counter with the bottle of ale.

"You charge it directly to the Embassy. Earth is paying for you."

"That all you're getting?" Shran asked in surprise. "Not much is it?"

"Well what would you recommend?" Archer turned to him,

"Hey, that's my area of expertise thank you." Jelit said straightening up. Shran shrugged and stepped back, indicating he would stay quiet. "Klingon bloodwine is popular with the Tellerites."

"Although woe to the pig that admits it." Shran muttered, leaning his back against the wall. Archer chuckled.

"No thank you. I generally avoid anything with the word blood in it."

"Alright. How about some Risen pre mixed cocktails?"

"What mixes do you have?" Hoshi asked, coming up beside him. Archer gave her a slight look of surprise. "Do you have Rel'tek?"

"Gah!" Shran shuddered and shook his head with a grimace.

"I take it you don't like it Commander?" Hoshi asked smiling,

"I don't after downing about 30 and somehow ending up…" Shran snapped his mouth shut, "Never mind." He shook his head when Archer pressed him. Jelit chuckled.

"You always end up in trouble out there don't you?"

"Don't remind me." Shran grumbled, but his lips twitched into a smile.

"So it isn't just us!" Archer said triumphantly.

"Maybe not but you get me in the worst kinds of trouble, not the fun kind I can laugh about later." Shran reminded him, smirking. Archer shrugged chuckling,

"Well rest assured, you're not the only one to suffer."

"Mmm." Shran's smirk stayed put on his lips.

'_Genetic. Definitely genetic.'

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Ok, you know how this works my friends. Read it, review it or no updates. :D

Night's Darkness


	6. Chapter 6

Wow! Sorry it took me so long to update but I got stuck into 'Blue Tears' plus this chapter was a nightmare. It's sooo freakin' long! And I'm really not that confident about it. If you could either tell me its good or tell me its bad (so I can rewrite it) I'd be very grateful. On that note, I'd just like to say that when I say review or no update, I really don't mean it. I'd update with or without reviews, but I do appreciate being told what you think about the fics, as I'm continuously trying to improve my writing.

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**Chapter 6**

"Are you sure you don't want to head on?" Shran gave him a curious look as he spoke,

"Nah, we said we wanted to see the sites. A school is a site."

"I worry about your sanity sometimes pink-skin." he told him blandly. "Besides there's nothing to see, I'm just picking Jhe'lek and Erib up and bringing them to my house."

"No honestly, it's on the way anyway."

"Well if you're sure." Shran seemed confused as to why Archer and his crew were so eager to see the outside of an Andorian School, but Archer wanted to see how Shran was with children, although he'd never tell the Andorian that unless he had a death wish. He knew the others had similar feelings. It was a good thing that his sister had called to ask him to pick up the youngest two (the others were all sorted in one form or another apparently).

The Andorian School was two stories tall, circular, like all the buildings, with large windows overlooking the city. There was a playground with strange drawings on the ground in some places (Andorian hopscotch maybe) and some climbing frames and other things of the sort. There were many parents or other relatives waiting here. As they entered the playground a loud gong resounded through the school. There was silence again and then the unmistakable sound of a stampede of little feet. The door burst open and children seemed to just pour out. Shran raised his chin as he searched the crowd for the two children he was collecting. The children's age range was from about three to about fourteen. As the immediate burst thinned Shran grinned, apparently spotting his niece and nephew.

"Erib! Jhe'lek!" he called, and his smile broadened as two small children headed straight for them. He crouched down with open arms and they barrelled into them, with such a force they nearly knocked him over. He laughed and they pulled away.

"What are you doing here Uncle Thy'lek?"

"I'm collecting you. Your mother isn't able to. Work issues." he explained simply as he stood up. The smaller of the two, a girl of about three, held her arms out and jumped impatiently. He bent over to pick her up and then groaned as he straightened up, setting the child on his hip. "I suppose neither of you have suffered for sleeping on the floor last night?"

"Nope!" the boy chirruped and then, in a sweetness that would have melted Ambassador Soval, he said, "Are you sore from it?"

"Only a little. I must be getting old." Shran chuckled as he took the boy's hand with his free one.

"You're not old Uncle Thy'lek. You're only 51. You've got over a hundred years to go at least."

"Here's hoping." Shran said with a long suffering sigh.

"Besides, you're not old compared to Old Man Ghee."

"Erib! You're absolutely right on that point. Then again, you know Old Man wants to set a new record for age."

"He says he's going to live to 300."

"If we're lucky." Shran chuckled. "Oh! Sorry pink-skin, I forgot about you for a second. Erib, meet pink-skin." The boy looked Archer up and down and then grinned at him in a way that was a twin for Shran's own mischievous one.

"Nice to meet you pink-skin." Erib said and stuck his hand out to him. Archer held it in his own and Erib tried to shake his arm off.

"Nice to meet you… Erib?" Archer glanced up at Shran who nodded. "For the record my name isn't pink-skin."

"I know. It's Jonathon Archer." Erib looked him over again. "I like pink-skin more." Shran snorted and then pretended to find the roof of the cave fascinating as Archer looked at him. "Who're the rest of you?" Each of them went through the ritual of having Erib, who was extremely strong for his size, try to shake their arms off. Jhe'lek was only just turned three and she hid her face in Shran's shoulder with a giggle when Archer, with a large smile, shook her hand lightly. They walked through the city, Erib chattering away about his day. "-And then I told my story for the day and I told them all about the story you told us last night about the wild zabathu and how we played imaginary games for hours and we rode around on your back again and again between you and Uncle Senkrad tickle torturing each other and-"

"Erib! Take a breath." Shran laughed, although Archer could have sworn he saw a faint blush in his cheeks. He dismissed it as a trick of the light. "Honestly, sometimes I wonder if you have an off button somewhere so I can let you take a break."

"Nope! No off button."

"Are you sure?" Shran grinned and, still holding Erib's hand, he poked him in the nose that matched his own. Erib giggled and rubbed his nose and then grabbed Shran's shirt and pulled him down and poked his nose back, giggling as he did. Shran wrinkled his nose and then growled playfully, throwing his arm around Erib and lifting him up, holding him against him, playfully rubbing his brow into the boy's thick hair. Erib squealed and giggled in delight. Shran spun around on his feet, somehow expertly balanced (_'The antennas.'_ Archer thought), making both children squeal with delight. "Can't have Jhe'lek feeling left out, now can we?"

"No. We can't." Erib shook his head vigorously. Shran laughed delightedly and kissed the top of his head. Jhe'lek whined and so Shran kissed her too. He then set Erib down on his feet and took his hand again as if nothing had happened. "Come on pink-skin! You're lagging behind." Erib called, beckoning them forwards. They followed the hyper child's orders. Archer was grinning. Soval was lucky to have Shran as a father, he could see that now and felt a little guilty for ever questioning it. They arrived at Shran's home.

"Come in pink-skin. I may as well behave like a proper Andorian and adhere to custom. In!" Shran gestured them into the house as he set Jhe'lek down on the ground where she promptly pottered into a room that seemed to be overflowing with toys. Erib sat down at the counter and set his bag on the high stool beside his own. He pulled out a PADD and a stylus and began to do his homework. At least Archer assumed it was homework.

"What did you mean adhere to custom?"

"Andorian custom states that any guests received are to be provided with a meal and since we haven't eaten in a good few hours I may as well make dinner."

"Don't trouble yourself for us."

"Just sit down pink-skin." Shran pointed, with a very sharp knife he'd just pulled out in the kitchen, at the couches. "I shouldn't take too long."

"Thanks." Archer sat down and then took a better look around the room. Was it just him or was there something off about the house? It seemed as if there was something strange going on, a kind of tension in the air. And hadn't Senkrad said he'd be staying here? Maybe he was in one of the other rooms. Shran moved about in the kitchen and then, wiping his now washed hands on a cloth he walked over to the door that lead to Senkrad's bedroom.

"Sen, I'm making Elsyui. You want some minecta added?" he asked loudly as he pushed the door open, gaining two manly yelps.

"Uh… no, I'm good." Senkrad stuttered.

"What about you Telk? Minecta spice?" Shran's voice was completely casual, as if nothing usual was going on. A new voice spoke, also male.

"No, no. I'd better go. Just need to find my underwear-" Shran picked up something from by the edge of the door frame and tossed it to the voice. "-thank you!" the now muffled voice called.

"No problem." Shran shut the door and shook his head, sighing as he walked back to the kitchen. Erib matched him, shaking his head and sighing heavily,

"Uncle Senkrad did it again." Archer found it very amusing that the boy sounded like an adult, his tone serious and exasperated.

"Yes he did and Erib, you shouldn't know about this sort of stuff yet." Shran seemed more amused than angry as he regarded his nephew.

"Mama and Papa were talking about it. They always talk about that sort of thing and I always overhear them. They talked about Uncle Sen and Telk, and you and Talas, and Aunt Lissiel and… well whoever she's with." Erib shrugged but he seemed to have noticed how still Shran had gone, and how his antennas drooped sharply. Shran swallowed hard and then began to cut something up. Erib reached out and touched Shran's hand, his own antennas falling in remorse. Shran looked at him and then smiled slightly.

"Go play with your sister, alright. I've a feeling you'll be bored by the discussion that's about to come." Erib nodded and hopped off his stool and walked into the room, dutifully shutting the door. Shran's antennas stayed drooped and his smile fell as he resumed his chopping. Archer shifted uncomfortably, unsure if he should say something. He was saved the need by Senkrad's door opening and the man himself and another man emerging, looking distinctly rumpled.

"Well this was fun as always Senkrad." the strange man said as he opened the front door. "Have to do it again." He winked at Senkrad whose smile was strained. The man kissed him on the lips and then left. Shran shook his head again and continued chopping. Senkrad stared at the shut door for a minute and then wordlessly moaned and seemed to throw himself over to the high counter and he began to bang his head on it, punctuating the bangs with words.

"I- am- so- stupid!" Shran regarded his brother with a combination of amusement, pity and exasperation.

"Sen, that's not good for your head." he said, reaching out and pressing two fingers to the hairline of his brother's head, he pushed him up to sit straight. "And neither is this pattern you've established with Telk."

"I know! I don't even understand what happened." Senkrad rested his chin on folded arms on the counter, his antennas drooping slightly. "I was drawing quietly, doing nothing to harm anyone when he knocks on the door, saying he wants to talk."

"And?"

"And… that's all I remember! The next thing I know we're on the bed."

"He does know the route well by now." Shran chuckled.

"Thy'lek! This is serious!"

"Well I'm sorry but this is the fifth time you've done this. You told me two days ago you weren't seeing each other anymore."

"I thought we weren't!"

"Then why did I come into the house with him in your bedroom **again**?"

"I… I… I'm doomed." Senkrad began banging his head again and Shran sighed. He moved away from the counter, holding a board covered in chopped vegetables, at least Archer thought they were vegetables. He disappeared out of Archer's view but he could hear him pottering around in the kitchen. Senkrad stopped hitting his head and now rubbed it with his fingertips, muttering about a bruise likely to form. Shran snorted.

"What did you expect exactly. Oh and you might want to change your shirt unless you want Lissiel pestering you." Senkrad looked at him in confusion and Shran sighed and reappeared and poked his brother in the neck. Senkrad let out a little yelp and then his face flushed vibrantly. He pressed his hand to his neck and then said pleading,

"Can you get me some ice?"

"Sure." Shran disappeared and then reappeared with ice in his hand. Senkrad took it and held it to his neck. "If Lissiel finds out-"

"I'll never hear the end of it." Senkrad finished. "I know, I know." he sighed and then seemed to notice Archer and the others. "Oh hello again Captain." He spoke as if the conversation with his brother hadn't happened.

"Hi." Archer nodded to him, trying to hide his amusement. He'd been enjoying that conversation. It'd been entertaining.

"Hoshi, Travis, Trip, Malcolm." Senkrad greeted with a nod of his own. They smiled at him. Suddenly he raised an eyebrow "Um Captain. I think you're sitting on my notepad." Archer stood up at once and found what he'd thought was a thin cushion of silk was actually a pad of parchment that was wrapped in silk. He picked it up and gave it to Senkrad as he apologised. "No harm done." Senkrad smiled at him, and Archer was suddenly struck again, not by the similarities between the brothers but by the differences. Senkrad smiled more and his smile lit up his eyes very brightly. Shran's smiles didn't always reach his eyes at all. Senkrad was clearly easy going and calm. Shran seemed more tense and there was a strange gleam in his eyes sometimes that Archer had seen as they went through the city. The only time it had disappeared completely was when he'd been with the children.

"So who've we got in the playroom? And we need to redo it soon, we haven't done it up since… well since we became neuters." Senkrad asked, looking at Shran, who returned to the counter and leaned against it.

"Jhe'lek and Erib and no! I like the playroom the way it is."

"You always said that when we started redoing it and then you always said you liked it even more when it was finished."

"When I was ten and under Sen, everyone changes their minds then. I haven't once wanted to change that room since I turned neuter." Senkrad sighed and propped his head in his hand,

"Well Lissiel and I think it's time to change it. I've been itching to do some new designs on the walls, the zabathu are beginning to fade."

"You can't get rid of the zabathu!" Shran looked like he was going to start pouting, he really did. "I've told every single one of our nieces, nephews and younger cousins their story and names. We can't get rid of them."

"Well we'll see." Senkrad sighed again, apparently knowing better than to pursue the matter. Shran disappeared again and there were sounds of him moving around in the kitchen. Senkrad shook his head and stood up, wandered over to the middle of the room and sat down beside Hoshi. He still held the ice to his neck but Archer, who sat opposite him could see a dark blue bruise on his neck. "So did you see anything you liked?"

"Well your brother took us to the city centre and we saw all the shops, and I think there's a good few things I'd like to buy for people back home."

"And the rest of you?"

"Yeah. I saw this dress that I'm fairly sure my sister will love me for." Malcolm said. He'd been examining the dress when they'd taken a peek in one of the many clothes shops at Hoshi's request.

"She'd better!" Shran called, "It's that dress made by the man himself The'nack Jalil."

"By hand?" Senkrad's eyes were wide.

"Indeed."

"Spirits! You must have a lot of money on you. That'll cost a small city to buy."

"It will?" Malcolm squeaked.

"Of course Master The'nack Jalil is the top designer on Andoria. His designs are the most desired kind of formal clothing you could want. They're gorgeous. The silk's made from the best ice bores. You get your hands on something like that you'd better never let it go." Shran reappeared, looking highly amused at his brother's serious tone.

"Sen… it's not that big of a deal. It's just a formal outfit."

"Just a formal outfit!" Senkrad actually leapt to his feet and put his hands on his hips. "It's a collectable!" Shran crossed his arms and shook his head.

"Senkrad, I'm not going to argue with you about this again."

"I guess you can't appreciate a beautiful thing when you see it." Senkrad grumbled, folding his arms. Shran's eyes narrowed, and his voice lost some of its warmth,

"I'm going to ignore that statement since I know that you're still upset over Telk. Rest assured my brother I know beauty when I see it, but I shall never see what makes The'nack Jalil's work any better than the work the others do." He then went back into the kitchen. Senkrad looked guilty and then shook his head, running his fingers through his hair. He sat down again beside Hoshi, who shifted uncomfortably.

"Did you see the museum?" he asked quietly.

"Yes. We're thinking of going there tomorrow."

"You'll probably enjoy the section on our space programme. It's fairly large. But I'd avoid the section called the Eternal Ones, if you're not very comfortable being around bodies."

"The Eternal Ones?"

"Bodies found perfectly preserved in the ice. There's hundreds of them in the museum. Some date back to the time pre modern Andorian, as in they are the ones that were before Andorians took the form we have now." As Senkrad spoke he kept his voice down, glancing at the kitchen as he did. Archer guessed this was not a topic Shran liked.

"Sounds creepy." Trip muttered,

"It is. I went to the museum when I was seven and Thy'lek was five and we snuck in. Our parents didn't need to look for us because we were screaming so loud." Senkrad shuddered slightly and then sat back. Archer tried to imagine that but found that he couldn't, mainly because he couldn't picture the two Andorians as children. Suddenly the playroom door flew open and Jhe'lek ran out screaming with Erib chasing her, brandishing a Usshan-tor.

"I'll cut out your innards and wear them as a belt!" he cried as Jhe'lek flew into the kitchen.

"Erib!" Shran barked and the screaming stopped. "What are you doing!"

"I was just playing Uncle Thy'lek." Erib explained, sounding a little scared and confused, "I'm Hecril Demaldus!" Senkrad sighed and shook his head. Shran spoke again,

"Erib, Hecril Demaldus was an evil monster. Why in the world would you want to be him?"

"I just thought it'd be fun." Shran walked out of the kitchen, Jhe'lek on his hip and a subdued Erib at his side.

"Erib, Jhe'lek is only three, you can't chase her around with a Usshan-tor, she's not old enough to play with them. You could really hurt her." Shran scolded patiently. Erib shuffled his feet and pulled at his shirt as he looked up at his uncle. He looked very sweet but Shran didn't give an inch, his antennas rearing up in a fatherly way and his face making it clear he wanted Erib to apologise.

"'M sorry Uncle Thy'lek. 'm sorry Jhe'lek." he muttered, head down. Shran smiled at him and crouched down so Erib could hug him.

"Alright, now wait until you get home to play with your Usshan-tor. Why don't you help me set the table, dinner's about to be served." Erib beamed and nodded. Jhe'lek suddenly whacked Erib on the head.

"BAD!" she shouted, "BAD ERIB!"

"Ow." Erib rubbed his brow. Shran sigh and set Jhe'lek down.

"Bad Jhe'lek too." he said as he straightened up. She whinged and pulled at his trousers but he just stared down at her. She whinged louder, tugging at his trousers in earnest.

"Uncle Lek!" she exclaimed. "Lek!" Shran crossed his arms and said nothing, and she stamped her foot. "Up Lek! Up!" Shran shook his head and she sat down on the ground and began to hit the ground, her face going a darker shade of blue. She glared up at Shran and hit the ground with her little fists. Erib looked decidedly uncomfortable and he backed away. Shran and Jhe'lek were now staring each other down. Stubborn against stubborn it seemed. Archer watched with great interest. It occurred to him (although he knew very little about babies) that Jhe'lek was behaving like she was two, not three. He guessed that Andorian children didn't grow as quickly as human children did. Jhe'lek snapped,

"UP! UP!"

"No." Shran said firmly, "No up, until you say sorry to Erib."

"Erib bad!"

"No. Erib not bad. Say sorry."

"This could take a while." Senkrad said lightly. "Jhe'lek's got Sakrana's stubbornness."

"I'd have thought she had Shran's stubbornness." Archer admitted, grinning as the Guardsman and the toddler continued their staring contest.

"He and Sak are as stubborn as each other, so it's really the same." Senkrad chuckled. Shran suddenly shifted. He shrugged carelessly,

"You won't say sorry Jhe'lek?"

"No!"

"Oh well, then no up." Shran headed back towards the kitchen, turning his back to Jhe'lek, whose lower lip began to tremble. She whinged and began to crawl after him, calling "Lek!" pitifully. Shran ignored her and busied himself with rummaging through a cupboard. Jhe'lek seemed to know she wouldn't win. She crawled over to Erib, pushed herself to her feet and then reached out and patted his shoulder. "Sorry." she said bluntly. Erib nodded. Jhe'lek then walked in that slightly unsteady way of a toddler, and stopped behind Shran who looked over his shoulder at her. She held her arms up and she made grabbing motions with her fingers. Shran smiled and picked her up. He held her in his arms and rubbed his brow into her hair and she giggled, throwing her arms around his neck. "Alright now, you're going to strangle me!" Shran chuckled. "Come on Erib, help me set the table. Jhe'lek, you want to sit in Senkrad's lap?" She nodded and Erib ran over and put his Usshan-tor in Senkrad's lap and Shran passed him Jhe'lek who rested her head on her uncle's shoulder. Erib ran into the kitchen and he could be heard opening a drawer and fiddling inside it due to the rattling of metal. Shran pulled out some long necked bottles from a cupboard on the other side of the counter and wandered into a room through a door closest to the front door on the left. Erib came running through, clutching what looked like loads of metal chopsticks in his pudgy hands. He disappered into the room after Shran and they could hear the two talking softly. Senkrad smiled to himself.

"He'll make a great father to Soval."

"Yeah I think he will." Archer agreed softly. A strange look passed over Trip's face but it was gone before Archer was sure what it was.

"He's the best out of the five of us with children. Sanakral and Sakrana are jealous of his ability to control their children with an ease they've never had. It's fun to watch the difference actually." he chuckled. "Sak and San run themselves ragged and then Thy'lek comes along and the children instantly obey him."

"How does he do it?"

"I'm not completely sure. Sometimes he's strict like a parent and other times he immerses himself in their games. I'm not sure how he knows exactly when and how to behave but they always respond to him." Archer grinned, imagining it quite clearly. "I'll just see if he needs a hand. Would one of you hold Jhe'lek?"

"I will." Hoshi offered, holding her hands out. Senkrad smiled at her gratefully and passes the child to her. Hoshi settled Jhe'lek in her lap and smiled down at her as the baby stared up at her in confusion. "Hello there." Hoshi smiled at her and she smiled back. Then she reached out and grabbed a lock of Hoshi's loose hair, giving it a tug. "Ow." Hoshi winced and then tried to get the child to let go. "Ok, come on let go." She pulled at the little hand with her fingers but the child refused to let go, she just tugged on it harder. "Ow!" Hoshi winced again and tried harder to get the baby to let go. Malcolm chuckled and tried to help her, frowning very slightly as he realised how unsuccessful he was being.

"She's got a grip on you."

"No argument from me."

"It's natural for Andorians apparently. From birth they can support their own weight, clinging onto the clothes of their parents." Archer said, grinning at the blue child. Shran came out and he looked around the room, frowning as he did.

"Sen!" he called.

"What?"

"Where's the high chair for Jhe'lek?"

"In the playroom." His face changing to confused, he turned in the middle of the room to look at the door he exited.

"Why's it in the playroom?"

"Lissiel moved it there."

"Why did she move it there?"

"She had people over."

"When did she have people over?"

"About six days ago." Shran frowned even more confusedly.

"Where was I? I don't remember her having people over six days ago."

"I'd should say so, you went out that night and didn't come home till morning." Senkrad stuck his head around the door with a wide, mischievous grin on his face. "You stayed with Telev remember?" Shran's cheeks flushed slightly and he shifted on his feet.

"Oh right." he muttered and walked into the playroom quickly as if to escape. Senkrad came out of the presumed dining room and rested his forearm on the doorframe.

"You know you never told me what went on between you that night." Shran came back out carrying a high chair.

"There's nothing to tell. I don't even remember anything until the morning."

"And were you fully clothed or what?" Archer fought a grin as Shran sighed and then said sarcastically

"No actually, we weren't wearing any shoes. How incriminating." he rolled his eyes and pushed past his brother. "Honestly Sen, why is it always with Telev you get like this?"

"Because you and Telev are like me and Telk." Shran gave a sharp laugh as he came back out and looked his brother square in the eye.

"Telev and I are nothing like you and Telk. We have the occasional one nighters and we're friends. You and Telk, you go through a drama of misery every single time you get together for these month long relationships. Honestly I'm beginning to think you're a sadist." He walked back towards the kitchen. "Do any of you put up with this kind of questioning from your siblings?" he asked the humans who suddenly stopped laughing under their breaths in amusement.

"I don't have any siblings." Archer said with a shrug. Shran froze and so did Senkrad.

"Me either." Hoshi said.

"None at all?" Senkrad exclaimed. Both shook their heads. "What about the rest of you?"

"I've got a sister." Malcolm said.

"I've got one brother and a sister." Travis offered.

"I had two siblings." Trip said, softer than the rest. Shran gave him a brief glance and then shared an incredulous look with Senkrad.

"And I thought we were bad with the six of us." he said shaking his head as he wandered into the kitchen.

"Me too. How many children does a family usually have with Humans?" Senkrad stared at them in fascination.

"Between one and three really. More sometimes but anything above five is considered a little unusual." Senkrad's eyes widened in amazement.

"You're not like the Vulcans are you?" he asked in an almost hushed whisper. "Only having sex every seven years?" The bluntness of the question made them a little uncomfortable.

"No, we uh, we don't do that, we've no, erm… schedule when it comes to… that."

"Then how do you have so few children?"

"Birth control mainly." Senkrad frowned in utter confusion and Shran didn't seem any more clued in, although he was busy with dinner so it was clear his concentration was divided.

"What's birth control?" Senkrad asked, looking genuinely confused.

"It's where conception is… well prevented."

"But I don't… Thy'lek do you understand this?" Senkrad looked at his brother who was dishing out some sort of liquid into bowls. He set down the jug that he poured the liquid from. A delicious smell tingled Archer's nose and his mouth began to water as he realised how hungry he was. Shran looked at his brother with full attention.

"I don't think they have neuters Sen. I think that they are like the Vulcans in that aspect."

"What? One puberty?"

"Yes." Shran nodded and then said, smiling in amusement. "I think we ought to change the subject. I've a feeling this isn't something that our guests want to talk about."

"Oh. Sorry. I guess we're just used to it." Senkrad apologised, and even bowed a little to them.

"Hey it's fine… I mean if this is the norm for you…" Archer shrugged, trying to avoid the topic, but not offend the hosts.

"Well Thy'lek has said not every species is as open as we are about… that kind of thing." Senkrad seemed very embarrassed. Shran seemed entertained. He carried the bowls into the dining room while Senkrad shifted on his feet.

"It's ok, you, uh, shouldn't act any differently on account of us." Shran poked his head around the door and he opened his mouth to say something, then said nothing. Instead he seemed to be waiting.

"What?" Senkrad asked frowning at his younger brother.

"I should be telling you that dinner's ready… but to be honest I'm much more interested in seeing where this awkwardness will lead to." Shran grinned wickedly and leaned against the doorframe with his shoulder. Senkrad rolled his eyes and walked over and physically pushed Shran back into the room before asking Archer and the others to come in. Hoshi carried Jhe'lek in and Shran, still grinning broadly took her from her, getting her to let go of Hoshi's hair. "Now my lady." he said to his niece, setting her into the seat and then sitting beside it. Erib sat on his other side. Senkrad sat beside him.

"Please sit down Captain… there's no particular order."

"Thanks, and it's Jon Senkrad, please."

"What? Don't I get that privilege too?" Shran grinned, teasing him with obvious enjoyment.

"Well considering you more than often just call me pink-skin, I can't see the point." Archer chuckled as he sat between Hoshi and Trip at the round table. The metal was a purple colour upon first glance, but as one turned this way and that it changed hues, a little like gasoline puddles, with all the metallic colours. The chair's were straight backed and only slightly cushioned, but comfortable. The deep bowls of light brown liquid were steaming slightly, and the smell reminded him of a bakery. Shran snorted,

"It's the principal of the thing… pink-skin." Archer chuckled and shook his head. He'd never win with the Andorian. Ever. Shran and the other Andorian's picked up their bowls (Jhe'lek seemed to have a kind of metal sippy cup) and sipped from them. Not seeing any spoons, the guests followed their actions. As he tasted the broth, or whatever it was, he was overwhelmed by the delicious taste. It was rather like warm, fresh bread, but tasted… natural, not manufactured. He couldn't explain it, but he definitely liked it. He set down the bowl, half empty, making a noise of enjoyment.

"Damn, that's good." Trip said, licking his lips. "What is that?"

"It's Elsyui, it's a vegetable drink. It wets the appetite as you say, for the main meal."

"Well it's delicious. Tastes like fresh bread, straight out of the oven." Archer praised. "Maybe you could give Chef the recipe."

"Well, it's just pressed Elsyui. Easy to make."

"What's bread?" asked Erib. Shran's face turned thoughtful,

"Isn't that that brown thing with a soft white centre?"

"Yeah, that's the stuff."

"I knew it reminded me of something." the Guardsman muttered, "I just couldn't place it."

"Interesting how a vegetable can taste like a man-made product on another world." Malcolm said, before blushing, as he realised how silly that comment sounded.

"It's true enough. I've often found that." Shran agreed. He drained his bowl and then wiped Jhe'lek's face. She had dribbled some of the drink down her chin and it was rolling under it to her neckline as Shran caught it with a cloth. She let out a squawk of protest and tried to escape but Shran persisted until her face was clean. "I'm sorry Jhe'lek, but I'm not going to wait for that to dry on you. You'll make even more of a fuss." He was soft spoken, but firm. Archer watched him with fascination and found himself comparing him to T'Pol. Whereas his first officer was a little awkward, and uncertain with what she did, Shran looked like he'd been doing this sort of thing all his life and it came naturally to him. Erib set his bowl down and declared he was finished.

"You are not." Senkrad told him. "We still have to eat the main course."

"Aw, but I want to play."

"You can play if you eat everything off your plate." Shran told him as he stood up and picked up his, Senkrad and Erib's bowls and Jhe'lek's sippy cup. "Are you done pink-skin?"

"Uh…" Archer drained his bowl and held it out, "I am now." Shran chuckled and took the bowl from him. The others drained their bowls and handed them to the Andorian who stacked and balanced them expertly in his hands and walked out. Erib burped and then giggled. Jhe'lek giggled too and then banged her hand on the tray of her high chair. It almost seemed like she was demanding her dinner. Senkrad seemed to think along the same lines because he said

"You, young lady, are as impatient as your aunt Lissiel."

"Senkrad! Don't exaggerate." Shran called from the kitchen. How the heck had he heard that? "No one is as impatient as our sister." Senkrad chuckled and shook his head. Apparently he was very used to Shran and his sister taking hits at each other.

"If you say so Thy'lek… although considering you've made it your personal mission to try her patience, I'm not sure how much your perspective on that subject can be taken as fact."

"I do nothing of the kind to her." Shran called back. Archer could actually hear the smirk in his voice. "She just likes to pick on me. Always has Sen. You know that."

"I do, considering I was usually enduring the same things as you."

"True enough." Erib giggled, covering his mouth with his hand, his antennas squirming on his head.

"I like hearing all the stories about the things you and uncle Thy'lek did when you were little." he said, "Especially the one about the ghost."

"Gah!" Senkrad grimaced, just like Shran had earlier that day. "I can't believe you didn't have nightmares about it. You must be made of sterner stuff than us."

"He'd have to be if Sakrana's his mother. Goodness knows what those children go through." Shran chuckled as he returned with plates. He set them down before Archer, Hoshi and Trip and then left to get more.

"You know, I'm beginning to think it's maybe not the best thing for you to make fun of a child's parent in front of the child." Senkrad called, and then turned his attention to Jhe'lek who let out a squeal and then exclaimed

"HUNGY!"

"Just hang on Jhe'lek, there's only one Uncle Thy'lek and since I'm banned from the kitchen it'll take him a minute."

"Why are you banned from the kitchen if I may ask?" Malcolm spoke up curiously. Senkrad chuckled.

"Thy'lek doesn't trust me not to hurt myself accidentally in the kitchen."

"With good reason." Shran pointed out as he came back with another three plates. He then had to leave to get the final few. Senkrad rolled his eyes and shook his head, smiling fondly. Archer chuckled, and then looked down at the plate and noted with a slightly nauseous feeling that the meat was blue. Stuffed tuber vegetables and a variety of meats made up the barely cooked meal. Glancing to the top of his place he saw his cutlery was a pair of metal chopsticks that looked extremely sharp. He picked them up and stared at them questioningly, unsure how he was meant to use them. Senkrad coughed lightly and held up his own. He held them like chopsticks in one hand. Archer nodded in thanks. Shran returned with the last plates and sat beside Erib and Jhe'lek again. Senkrad began to eat first, digging in eagerly.

"Mmm! This is what I miss when you go out there." he declared. "You're the only one of the three of us still living in this house who can cook." Erib made a noise of agreement and he too munched happily, stabbing the food with his 'chopsticks' and pulling it into his mouth. Copying the boy the guests first warily and then eagerly ate their meal.

"How's earth coming along with the issue of the Coalition?" Senkrad asked curiously. Erib pulled a face that made it quite clear he found this topic extremely boring already.

'_Kid, you've no idea.'_ Archer thought wryly to himself as he answered,

"We're trying to repair the damage but, it'll probably take years before we can try again."

"At least with all those species. Not all relations were damaged." Shran said with a shrug. "We're still making our alliance official with you and the Vulcans aren't going anywhere. Give me a couple more months with Gral and you'll have the Tellerites too. That's the four central planets in this sector."

"True enough."

"In my opinion you started too big. Such a large scaled alliance, between species that have been at war with each other, suggested by a species who've really been involved in interstellar politics only five years." Senkrad shook his head. "A little too ambitious."

"That was Samuels' motto. Ambitious goals, ambitious results."

"Maybe but there's ambitious and there's unobtainable."

"It would have gone through if it hadn't been for Terra Prime!" Trip spat. Shran's antennas stiffened slightly and he looked at the Chief Engineer carefully. Senkrad didn't really react to the tone.

"I believe that something would have happened to stop it. If the faction hadn't been the ones to interfere, then something else would have come up. The Coridians would have demanded compensation from the Vulcans, the Tellerites would have picked a fight with Ambassador Thoris, who hates the Tellerites, I don't even know why they sent him."

"Because they refused to let me go on the grounds that I wasn't ready to return to space." Shran said, his tone was forcibly light. It was clear he had not appreciated that comment.

"Ridiculous." Senkrad shook his head. "You did all the work to even get us invited to that Coalition. Why in the seas of hell should you not get to complete the work and get due credit?"

"It's not about credit Sen. It's about looking out for Andoria."

"Which you've done more than half your life." Senkrad grumbled. It seemed that this was a sore spot between the brothers.

"So?" Shran shrugged, "People have lost their lives for it. I just willingly gave some of my life."

"Thy'lek-"

"Soval says that there are new talks going on, to try again." Shran ignored his brother and focused on Archer, "He won't tell me what the plan is though. He says it's better to wait until my government tells me. In other words he's getting back at me for trying to get him drunk." He stabbed his food with a little more energy than before. He seemed to be sulking.

"You tried to get Soval drunk?" Archer repeated bewilderedly, convinced he had misheard him.

"Yes. But it didn't work. His resistance is higher than I expected. I was so close too!" Shran smirked slightly, "A few more and that stiff backed old Vulcan would have been singing along with Gral."

"Gral?!" Now Shran grinned wickedly,

"Now him I did get drunk, with highly entertaining results."

"Oh do tell."

"Oh I don't know… Gral might not like that." Shran smirked

"Ah come on, you can't just dangle a hook like that." The three Andorian males all frowned in confusion. Erib got there first.

"What's that mean?"

"It means you can't bait us and not tell us the rest. Come on!" Archer leaned forward eagerly. "What happened?" Shran stared at him shrewdly and then grinned, setting down his 'chopsticks'.

"Alright. Picture this if you can. Gral in a fairly rowdy bar. He's completely drunk, and that makes him talkative and louder than ever. Suddenly he gets the idea that he wants to stand on the table. He insists that I help him up. I tried to talk him out of it-"

"I'm sure."

"-but he eventually got some others to help him up. So he's standing on the table and then begins to sing."

"What did he sing?"

"A Klingon Drinking Song."

"I wonder where he learned that." Senkrad muttered, fighting a smile. Shran pulled a very unconvincing innocent face.

"I've no idea."

"No, because you certainly don't come home from being out most of the night, drunk yourself singing such songs." Senkrad said with a smirk, reinforcing Archer's now deep-seated belief that the smirk was genetic. Shran definitely blushed at this comment, it was no trick of the light.

"I don't always sing Klingon songs."

"Oh no?"

"No. Sometimes I sing Betazoid ones." Shran smirked back at his brother and stood up, his plate empty. He took Jhe'lek's, Senkrad's and Erib's. "Alright Erib, you can go play."

"I'll free Jhe'lek." Senkrad offered, rising and lifting the girl out of her chair and setting her on her feet.

"Clean her face, will you Sen? She's covered in food."

"Just how much actually went in her mouth?"

"Only a portion of the amount that's down her front, but more than what went in her hair."

"You don't need a wipe young lady. You need a bath." At once Jhe'lek ran off. Shran sighed.

"Well, can't say I blame her."

"Me either." Senkrad agreed, "I mean, what child wants to be submerged in water." Both Andorian adults pulled faces. Erib shuddered and then bolted after his sister. "I'll get her, you clear up." Shran nodded and cleared the table, saying as he did,

"Why don't you move into the main room again pink-skin, I won't be long." He then noticed Archer was staring at him. "What?"

"I'm sincerely beginning to wonder if we really are in our reality." Archer admitted. Shran straightened up and smirked,

"Well I could challenge you to another Usshan match. Would that prove it?"

"Erm… I'm sure we don't need to be so extreme." Shran snorted,

"Coward." he smirked and walked out. Archer sighed and shook his head,

"That was proof enough."

* * *

Phew! Now I can finally get back to T'Pol and Soval themselves as well as Shran. Now I just need to figure out where this is gonna head. Anyone have a request?

Night's Darkness.


	7. Chapter 7

Ok, this isn't as long as the last one, but I doubt any of them will be that length again.

Thanks a million to those who reviewed and to those who are just reading it. I appreciate it so much.

* * *

**Chapter 7 **

"Did you enjoy your day?" T'Pol asked as she sat with Trip in the quiet mess hall.

"Yeah, it was really good." Trip nodded, "Saw some sights, and then Shran invited us to stay at his house for dinner. He's a pretty good cook."

"Shran cooked?"

"Apparently he's the only one who can in the house. For some reason he's banned his brother from the kitchen and his sister, apparently she's like all Andorian women."

"How so?"

"She refuses to cook." Trip chuckled, helping himself to some Pecan pie, a late evening snack.

"I see." T'Pol held her mug of camomile tea in her two hands, leaning her elbows on the table. "It would appear that the males of Andoria take on the majority of the housework. According to the Vulcan database at any rate."

"Well sure seemed like Shran knew his way around the kitchen and he… he was really good with the kids."

"Who?"

"His niece and nephew. They were at his house and he, he was good with them." T'Pol couldn't help but notice the way Trip had hesitated both times he'd mentioned the fact.

"Is that not a good thing? He will be well able to care for Soval."

"Yeah. I guess so…"

"Are you alright?" He looked up at her and there was something sad in his blue eyes. She stared back questioningly.

"Yeah. Yeah I'm fine. Just tired. You know, we were walking a good few hours, in and out of shops and around the city."

"Did you get an opportunity to explore the park below? Captain Archer said he wished to take a look at it."

"Uh, no, Shran said it was closed that day because of uh… some of the animals are… it's their mating season. If we gave it three days we could go down and explore it. Apparently there's lots of artwork spread out over the area from the Academy of Art that's in the city."

"I have heard of that Academy. It's highly prestigious."

"Where'd you hear of it? Not something that would be found of the Vulcan database I'm sure."

"When we were visiting a planet, in the Yiridian system. Do you remember?"

"Uh, we went down to explore the market while the captain bartered for supplies."

"Correct. In one of the shops I was examining a sculpture and the owner told me it was from the Acadamy on Andoria. He then told me a little about it. Apparently it is extremely hard to acquire a place at it and produces some of Andoria's greatest artists."

"Did you buy the sculpture?"

"No. I decided it was too… chaotic for my quarters." Trip chuckled in amusement and he saw a small twinkle in her eyes. She was smiling it seemed.

"Fair enough. If you want, maybe we could go down and explore the park together. Just you and me. Phlox would mind Soval I'm sure." He gestured to T'Pol's back where Soval was sleeping in a sling made of the most beautiful blue silk. Shran had given it to Archer before they left, saying that it would probably come in useful for T'Pol. He'd also asked that she be informed of an appointment with a doctor for a paternity test the next day. The blue silk from the front looked like a sash that complemented her teal uniform wonderfully.

"Perhaps Shran would care for him for the day. I wish to ensure that an appropriate bond is formed between them before we have to leave." T'Pol said, before sipping from her mug. Trip frowned in confusion.

"When we leave? Wait, you're gonna let Shran form a bond with Soval and then take off with him?"

"It is the logical course of events. Enterprise will be given an assignment soon enough and we will have to leave. Soval will come with us obviously."

"Yeeeeeeaaaaaah. Uh T'Pol. Did you consider the fact that Shran might not appreciate this?"

"He will understand the requirement that we leave."

"Maybe but I've a feeling that he'll be less understanding once he realises you'll be taking Soval away from him."

"He will not be cut out of his life."

"Yeah…" Trip scratched the back of his head, "I'm not sure that'll be good enough for him."

"I'm not leaving my son behind Trip." The Vulcan's voice had gotten very firm and sharp suddenly. "That is unacceptable."

"Well I'm not saying you should, but you're gonna have a hell of a time convincing Shran to let you take Soval."

"I'm sure we can come to an agreement of some kind."

"Shran's not allowed into space for what? Another half a year? And that's minimum T'Pol. How the heck are you supposed to compromise? Enterprise can't just pop over to Andoria every week so Shran can see his son." T'Pol's face, although it remained expressionless, seemed to tighten. She set down her mug and stood up.

"I have to leave. I must meditate and Soval needs to go to bed."

"T'Pol-"

"Goodnight Trip." She strode out of the room, Soval sleeping still, pressed chest to his mother's back, his little fingers gripping the material. The sash was a simple safety precaution, tying the baby to T'Pol. Trip sighed and rubbed his forehead irritably. He was conflicted. On the one hand, he'd been secretly hoping that Shran would reject Soval, because Trip was willing to try and take the role of being a father to Soval, if it meant he and T'Pol would get back together. The pain of Elizabeth's death had been too raw at first for them to truly get together, even though he was sure they were close to doing so. Now Soval's presence had T'Pol distracted and Shran was apparently not only willing, but eager, to take on the role of being a father. Hell he was damn good at it too, if today was any example. And on the other hand… now that he knew that, he couldn't believe T'Pol would take Soval away from the obviously delighted Andorian. He groaned, his heart and his conscience were against each other. His heart was for T'Pol, but his conscience was on Shran's point of view. He knew how he'd feel if he was separated from Soval like that.

'_This could turn into a disaster.'_ he thought to himself, suddenly not feeling like eating his beloved pie.

* * *

The room hadn't changed a bit since he was a child. The same ornaments adorned the desk. The same bed that he was leaning against. The same pictures on the walls. The same floor his sister had bashed his nose into. He decided not mention this to T'Pol who was standing ramrod straight near him, in case she was as uncomfortable with Sakrana as she obviously was with Lissiel. Soval was settled in the sash, which went with her purple uniform quite nicely, at her front, cradled in her arms. Like a present wrapped in silk Shran thought to himself as he admired his little son. A wonderful present. His musings were broken by the door opening and a man stepping inside. Somehow Dr. Asiles hadn't changed a bit either, he looked the same as he had as far back as Shran could remember. Maybe the Doctor was stuck in time because he was set in his ways as he ever had been. In any case he grinned at Shran warmly and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Thy'lek! Good to see you in here uninjured for once."

"No argument from me Doctor. Thank you for seeing us."

"Are you joking? I wouldn't pass up a chance like this. About time you had a child of your own. Although I'm surprised that you didn't come in with your new wife for check ups with me like your siblings." Shran's antennas stood at attention and T'Pol's eyebrows shot up to meet her hairline.

"What? You think we're married? We're not married!" Shran said quite firmly.

"Well how else could this have been achieved?"

"Doctor did Shran not tell you the nature of the situation?" T'Pol asked, sounding a tad stiff.

"Well I didn't make the appointment with him, I made it with the secretary. But I did mention that this was a unique situation."

"You didn't explain it then?"

"T'Pol I've had a hard enough time getting my own head around this, without having to explain it to others."

"Are you sure you're not married? You sound familiar." Dr. Asiles asked, smiling in amusement, although there was still a look of confusion on his face. Shran sighed and rubbed his forehead for a minute.

"Dr, why would I have scheduled a paternity test if I was married to T'Pol?"

"I thought you were here for a check up. That's what my file says."

"Well the file's wrong." Dr. Asiles sighed irritably.

"That damn new secretary, he's useless. Doesn't get anything right. I'm so sorry Thy'lek. Let's start again. You want a paternity test done?"

"Yes. T'Pol says that Soval is my son. I'd like you to confirm it."

"Why do I get the feeling this wasn't your idea? Did Sanakral suggest this?"

"It is frightening how well you know us."

"Not when one considers how often I dealt with your family." Dr. Asiles smiled at T'Pol warmly, "You wouldn't believe the amount of times this one's been in here with something serious." T'Pol looked at Shran who shrugged sheepishly. When it came to being healthy… suffice to say he'd been pretty luckless during his childhood. "Now, I need to just take a sample from the child and then I can compare it with Thy'lek's. If you would just put the child on the bed please." T'Pol looked at Shran who nodded and then she did as the doctor bid. Soval's eyes flew around the new surroundings and kicked his feet out, catching the doctor's wrist as he moved closer. "Spirited little thing isn't he? Reminds me of someone else at that age."

"Now who could that be?" Shran asked, raising an eyebrow and pulling the most innocent face he could muster. Dr. Asiles laughed and Soval looked at him at once at the noise. As soon as the baby was distracted the doctor took a small sample of aquamarine blood. Soval blinked and watched the hypospray pull away from him and then clasped his hands together above his head and wriggled where he lay. Shran chuckled and lifted him up, sitting on the bed as he did.

"This should only take a moment." Dr. Asiles quickly ran the test and Shran found that he was ridged with anticipation. Dr. Asiles looked up from his consol and smiled, "A perfect match. Congratulations Thy'lek." Shran did not care at that moment who saw the massive grin on his face because he was too happy. Holding the baby close and nuzzling the small face with his nose he said softly

"You hear that? You're really mine. How'd you feel about that?" Soval clapped his hands together. "I'll take that as a good sign." He chuckled airily, feeling his own breath rebound back to him from the soft skin of Soval. He forgot about T'Pol or Dr. Asiles, his world seemed to shrink to this baby and himself. His baby. His son. His little miracle if one wanted to get sentimental.

T'Pol watched the small scene before her and felt slightly touched at the open delight on Shran's face. She'd have never expected such a display from the gruff, aggressive commander she was used to. It just showed how much people could surprise you. Dr. Asiles came up beside her and, quietly so as not to disturb father and child said,

"Would you mind if I had a sample of your blood as well, for medical reasons."

"Of course not." She offered her arm slightly to the Andorian doctor and watched as a small amount of blood entered the vial.

"I will admit I always had a fascination with other species biology. However I felt I'd be better off being a family doctor."

"Well you won't hear me complaining." Shran said, still beaming, his antennas wriggling in glee.

"For once." Dr. Asiles smirked. Shran returned his attention to Soval. "May I run a few scans of the baby?"

"Sure." The doctor retrieved a scanner and ran it over the baby as Shran held him out. When he was done he studied the results on his consol.

"Intriguing." Shran grimaced.

"I hate that word. It always ends with more injections."

"Only for you Thy'lek."

"Exactly. I'm in the room aren't I?" Dr. Asiles chuckled and shook his head. He looked at them and said,

"Soval seems to have a very unique circulatory system."

"How so?" Dr. Asiles turned his consol and displayed a picture of Soval's insides. "His heart is divided into three parts, like an Andorian, but they're in the wrong places. Look. See there's his relmna." He pointed to the largest of the three chambers, it was located near where T'Pol knew a Vulcan heart would be located.

"Where would that normally be?" she asked,

"Right around here." The doctor touched his own chest on the right side, a little lower than where a human heart would be on the left. "And his munji is here. It's nestled right between his liver and his stomach." He pointed to the smallest one as he pointed it out. "That's normally much lower down, closer to the hip. It's actually much safer where it is in your son. The munji is the one that is the most likely one that needs to be replaced through surgery." Here he looked at Shran accusingly, who in turn looked incredulous.

"What? I've never had a heart chamber transplant."

"No, you've just come deathly close twice."

"Hey! First of all neither incident was my fault and second of all I'll thank you not to go snooping into my Guardsman Medical Records." Shran huffed as if insulted. Dr. Asiles shook his head and then shrugged.

"The last chamber, the hesanc is in a very odd place. It's here." He pointed at Soval's right side, right in the middle of his torso.

"I thought the hesanc was on the left?"

"It is in a full blooded Andorian and I'm at a loss as to explain why its there in a child who's mother has her heart as one mass of chambers in the middle of her body. The bizarre things genetics can do eh?" Shran nodded,

"Lissiel's a perfect example of that." The doctor shook his head in amusement. Shran then frowned thoughtfully, "Does he have a redundant circulatory system?"

"He seems to, if, for whatever reason, blood doesn't flow through his veins it should seep into his tissues and prevent any kind of limb stiffness, or freezing in cold temperatures."

"And anti-freeze? It's in his blood isn't it?"

"Not as much as would be typical for an Andorian, but there is enough to help keep from freezing in fairly cold temperatures."

"Good." Shran felt fairly satisfied by that. Dr. Asiles pursed his lips and Shran sighed, knowing the doctor had something else to add. "What?"

"Just be careful of his diet when it comes to minerals. He's got an unusual mixture of cobalt and copper, which is why his blood is the colour it is. Now I doubt this will ever cause him any difficulty if there was no issues with it in the pregnancy, if there was a chance that the two couldn't be sustained together in the amounts they are in a lifeform he wouldn't be in your arms any more. Can you tell me if there were any problems during the pregnancy?" T'Pol stiffened and Shran sighed.

"I'm afraid I cannot because I was not the one who was pregnant."

"I don't understand." T'Pol shared a look with Shran who shrugged. She drew in a breath and briefly explained the circumstances. Needless to say the doctor was staggered by the story. "Well that would explain the mental damage I was picking up."

"Damage?" T'Pol repeated, her voice rising a notch.

"It's caused by severe trauma, such as the loss of a parent. However, it can repair itself over time provided that they form a bond with someone. I can assume you'll both do that?"

"Do you even need to ask Doctor?" Shran asked as he let Soval climb around on his back, clutching with his little hands to the brown shirt he was wearing.

"I suppose I don't with you." Dr. Asiles admitted with a chuckle.

"I will also form a bond with my son." T'Pol said, putting a strong emphasise on the word 'my'. Shran's eyes narrowed very slightly but then relaxed again.

"Well good, the best way to do that is to spend time with him and establish yourselves as his parents. If you have an issues, you know how to find me." There was humour in his voice at the last bit. Shran groaned,

"Alright how often am I going to have to apologise for that?"

"Until you pay me back for making me cancel my family holiday."

"I was seven! It wasn't my fault I got sick!"

"You still owe me."

"Oh fine! I'll pay you back."

"Good. I've overdue for a break anyway."

"Trust me, more trouble than it's worth."

"You're just irritated that you're out of all the action." Shran raised an eyebrow at the teasing Andorian and then said,

"Well I won't deny that." He glanced at T'Pol and then back to the Doctor. "Well we'd better go. Thanks doctor."

"My pleasure Thy'lek and I hope to see this little one again, in good health of course."

"I'm sure you will."

"Thank you for your time." T'Pol said and they both left, overhearing as they did, Dr. Asiles scolding his new secretary.

"I miss the old one." Shran muttered, more to himself. "He always talked to me when I went in to see the doctor."

"Things never remain the same." T'Pol said softly. Shran looked at her and then bobbed his head slightly, before looking over his shoulder at Soval who gave him a gummy grin.

"I guess they don't."

* * *

Oh dear… where oh where will this go? Stay tuned and find out, ;)

Night's Darkness


	8. Chapter 8

Ok, sorry this has taken so long but I'm fairly sure I know where this is going now. I've also been immersed in Blue Tears. I'm afraid I might take longer with updates now that school is starting up :( but I'll do my best to update as often as I can. Ok, on we go. It's a kinda cute chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 8 **

"Come on." Shran said, smiling at her. "I want to show you something." Curious, she followed him. He led her to the outskirts of the city and they stepped from a metal bridge to a tunnel. From his pocket Shran produced a small flashlight and switched it on. The bright light shone on the dark rock, reflecting off the minerals. "This way." T'Pol hesitated and remained at the mouth. "Don't be so anxious T'Pol. It's just a little way in." Shran gave her an imploring look. "I know you don't completely trust me T'Pol, but do you really think I'd do something? For one thing I'd have that whole crew of yours out for my blood. Secondly, you're the mother of my child, never mind the technicalities, so that pretty much guarantees your safety." He held his gloved hand up, "I just want to show you something. I think you'll find it interesting." She stared at him carefully for a moment and then stepped forward but she didn't take his hand. He let it drop.

They walked slowly, the light from the flashlight showing the way, occasionally spooking an animal, although only one scuttled away, the others seemed unbothered. After taking a right and going straight for a few minutes they came to another cave, like the one where the Andorian city lay, but much smaller. T'Pol was aware of a strange squeaking sound. Shran lowered his flashlight and covered it with a red cloth, changing the colour and dimming the light.

"Lets avoid disturbing them any more than we have to." he said softly as they ventured carefully into the cave. T'Pol noted that Soval was peeking over Shran's shoulder from his back curiously.

"Disturb who?" Shran just gave her a small smirk.

"Them." he pointed the flashlight to the ceiling. In the very dim light T'Pol could just about make out a flock of small bat-like creatures. The red light flashed off red fur, a rich, deep red. "Over here." Shran said in a very soft voice. Padding over to a smallish ledge, Shran showed her a nursery of sorts. Tiny little versions of the creatures squeaked and scrambled around adult versions, plaintively calling for food.

"What are they?" she asked, watching them curiously and wondering why Shran had wanted her to see this.

"Redbats. Imaginative name, I know." He watched the younglings pull at their parents, "You know what's interesting about them aside from their colour?"

"What?"

"The way they raise their young. Most creatures, Andorians included, let the men deal with the children, while the women work, or guard territory or whatever. Redbats don't do that."

"Oh?" she raised an eyebrow curiously,

"Both parents take equal share in their young, they share the gathering of food and the teaching and the protecting. And they are quite nasty when their young is threatened." T'Pol looked at him and then at the creatures. An odd way of getting a point across but one she found… pleasant. "My brother has advised me to take legal action in the matter." Her eyes widened and he looked at her carefully. "But I'm not doing it to take Soval away from you."

"How do you-?"

"T'Pol, please don't treat me like an idiot. I'm not one. I know that's been bothering you, I can see it in your face, in the way you keep changing from 'my' to 'our' and back. You want what's best for Soval but you also can't ignore the desire to make sure your claim to him is well known." His gaze was completely serious, not a hint of arrogance or a smirk on it in the very dim light. He jerked his head back the way they had come and they left the redbats to their feeding. "I want to be as much involved as I can in his life and I will do whatever it takes to protect him. Look T'Pol…" he stopped in the tunnel and looked at her evenly, "I want to be as involved as I can… but I'm not going to do it so that you end up cut off. That's purely because I would never willing take a child from a parent. It would do neither any good. I want to make sure you understand that. I don't know what the law is about this or if there even is one, it's not like this has ever happened before, but I'd rather we figure out something with as little mess as possible."

"That seems… reasonable." T'Pol could not keep some of the surprise out of her voice. Shran smirked,

"I can be from time to time."

"From time to time." she agreed blandly, watching the smirk widen on his face. "There is something I need to give you, but perhaps we could go back into the city."

"Sure." They walked out and began to wander back into the city. People stared at them curiously and some said hello to Shran but otherwise they were left alone. "Well what is it?" he prompted her when many minutes went by and she said nothing. She thinned her lips and then from her coat that she'd worn to stay warm she produced a PADD. She gave it to Shran and he looked at her questioningly.

"This is a file entitled 'Hope'. It contains letters and pictures that your counterpart and mine wished for Soval to see when he was old enough. I thought it would be best if we both had a copy. The letter that he wrote for me, asking me to take Soval is also there."

"I see." Shran nodded, but his antennas had fallen a little.

"Why does this make you uncomfortable?"

"It's just… doesn't it bother you at all?"

"I don't see why it would."

"It's just, they were us and they're dead… and they were slaves and the humans were their masters and… I don't know it all just seems… like a nightmare."

"And in that nightmare there was still hope. They tried their hardest to change their lives. They tried to better their lives, to better their son's life. They would not have done so if they did not hope. They would not have created this child we now have to care for if they didn't."

"Well maybe but… I just find it all disturbing, and hard to wrap my head around."

"I'm sure you just need time. I have noticed that you are fairly adaptable." Shran snorted,  
"I don't know about that. But… thanks."

"You are welcome." Shran drew in a deep breath and then let it out.

"So what now?"

"Perhaps, if you wish, we could read over the letters together. I'm sure that our counterparts had plans for Soval. We should find out what they were."

"Alright. Come on. We can do that at my house. Unless… unless you'd rather go to a… humans would call it a restaurant I think. I know a good place, its quiet." She considered the two options and decided her choice.

"I would rather we be able to discuss this privately, so it would be best to go to your house."

"Fair enough. Soval certainly won't be bored if we go there." Shran agreed, before nodding his head in the direction back to his house. When they entered it it was silent. "Sen and Lis are at work, so we shouldn't be bothered. Here, you take Soval for a minute." He turned his back to her and she gently pulled Soval away and held him in her arms. Shran wandered into the playroom and then returned with a mat and bar with dangling toys. He spread the silk out on the floor in the centre of the floor space between the couches and then put the toy down. "You can put him down, this thing never fails to keep my cousins and my nieces and nephews entertained at this age." T'Pol perked an eyebrow up curiously and she lay Soval down so his arms could reach the toys easily. At once he reached out and batted at one of them, making it sway and let out a tinkling noise. Soval laughed with delight and hit it again. "Whether or not it will drive you insane is quite another thing." Shran shrugged and sat down on the couch. After some hesitation T'Pol sat down beside him, although she kept a significant amount of distance between them. If Shran noticed this and way annoyed, he hid it well. He twirled the PADD in his fingers a few times before finally switching it on. "Have you read these?"

"No."

"Can you read them from here?"

"Not really."

"Then maybe you should sit a little closer." he spoke awkwardly, and his fingers tapped the edge of the PADD. She thinned her lips and then slid closer to him, just enough to be able to read the PADD. He shifted slightly so that they both could read it and she was extremely aware of how close his face was to hers. His antennas were extended forward slightly, in what she knew now was calmness, but they were extremely close to her hair. She tried not to let it bother her. His eyes were fixed on the PADD and he opened the first letter. He glanced at Soval and his face softened for a moment, then it tightened again as he looked back at the PADD. T'Pol also began to read the letter.

_My Child, _

_Well, no matter how sceptical your mother may be, I know you're there. Granted only two days have passed since we tried, but I know you're alive. You'll probably know what I mean when you have your own children. Now isn't that just silly. You're only just conceived and I'm already talking about you having children of your own. I'm always thinking ahead of myself. Maybe that's a good thing, if I didn't think ahead then I wouldn't be writing this letter for you to read. _

_It's debateable why I'm writing this letter. Do I expect to die soon and so never get to tell you all these things? Do I just want to remember all the things I want to tell you in as much detail as I can? Or do I find comfort in talking to you even though you aren't self aware? To be honest, I'd saw it's a combination of all of the above, and other feelings as well. _

_A good question would be, what am I going to tell you? Well, I want to tell you everything I know, everything I can about me, your mother, my beloved wife T'Pol and our friends, and our lives. I want to give you a chance to know us, if it ends up being that we cannot be there with you ourselves. _

_So let's start from your own beginnings, not mine or your mother's. That means, I'm going to tell you about the first time I met your mother. I'm not sure why I want to start there, but it seems appropriate. _

_I was onboard the I.S.S Avenger, my post since I was eighteen, in engineering. The ship had just docked with an orbital station over Vulcan. Soval, my best friend and mentor came to me as I finished up my work._

"Thylek?"

"Over here Soval!" Thy'lek called, nestled in one of the Jeffries tubes, monitoring the flow of plasma through a conduit. Soval walked over and crouched down to see his friend. "What is it?"

"I was wondering if you'd accompany me to the station. There is someone I'd like you to meet."

"Oh?" Thy'lek looked at him questioningly, his antennas perked curiously.

"Yes. She's an old associate of mine. I believe you will find her agreeable."

"Vulcan?"

"Yes."

"Then I'm sure I will." he chuckled, pulling himself out of the Jeffries tube and standing up straight. He heard something in his back pop and stretched luxuriously. "Lets go. That is… we are able to go right?"

"Yes, Captain Black has given permission for all personnel to board the station for three hours, then we need to return."

"Sounds like fun. What are we waiting for?"

"Indeed." They walked through the docking port and onto the station. It was bustling with people, all dressed in Terran Starfleet uniforms. The two men made their way to a mess and Soval spotted his acquaintance. She was sitting at a table, her fingers delicately curled around a mug that was softly steaming. She had golden brown hair that reached her shoulders and she had the defining ears and eyebrows of a Vulcan. Thy'lek followed Soval and they both stopped before the woman.

"Greetings T'Pol. It is agreeable to see you again." said Soval as he sat down, motioning for Thy'lek to do the same. "This is Lieutenant Shran he's an associate from the Avenger."

"It is agreeable to meet you Shran." she said blandly, nodding her head to him. He smiled slightly and nodded back,

"It's nice to meet you, T'Pol?"

"Yes. Soval has spoken of you in our communications."

"All good I hope." Thy'lek smiled, it turned wry when he looked at Soval whose eyebrow twitched.

"He has said you are a competent and intelligent man." Thy'lek felt his cheeks flush at the praise, honoured that his friend and mentor would say such of him.

"Thank you." he said bashfully, turning his head to the woman, "I'm afraid I've not heard of you before." T'Pol did not seem bothered by this, and he was fairly confident that he could read Vulcan's behaviour well by now.

"T'Pol and I both served together on the I.S.S Caesar for several years about a decade ago. We became associates during that time." Soval explained.

"You mean you became friends." Thy'lek clarified, amused at the Vulcan way of speaking about friendship.

"Vulcans do not have friends." said T'Pol, cocking one eyebrow at him. Thy'lek smiled and then turned his attention to Soval again,

"Then what are we Soval? I call you my friend, do you throw it back in my face." Soval drew in a deep breath and said

"In this universe Vulcans do a lot of things they aren't supposed to. You are my friend Thy'lek." Thy'lek grinned in triumph. T'Pol watched them with a slightly puzzled look. Then she spoke,

"Have you ever heard of the Alternate Universe theory?"

"Yes." he nodded, a little uncertain where she was going with this.

"Do you ever wonder if there is a universe where things are different? Where perhaps… we are all equal."

"Keep your voice down T'Pol." Soval said sharply, and Thy'lek ducked his head reflexively. T'Pol flattened her lips and said nothing more. Thy'lek finally lifted his head and he looked around, trying to seem just curious about the mess, then he said softly.

"Do you think that's possible?"

"It is entirely possible." she said, with equal softness. Their heads were close together and Soval leaned in as well, either unwillingly intrigued or attempting to reduce suspicion.

"What made you bring it up?" Thy'lek asked, unable to miss that this woman was extremely beautiful, even from a purely observant point of view, and how close he was to her.

"Soval's words. 'In this universe.' Perhaps there is a universe where Vulcans and Andorians are free."

"You shouldn't speak of these matters here." Soval said, just as a Terran solider stalked past. He must have heard Soval because he slowed and looked at them suspiciously. Thy'lek mentally panicked and then he reached out and touched T'Pol's hand with his fingers, wrapping them into her palm. He acted like he hadn't noticed the Terran and said, acting slightly bashful,

"I'm sorry Soval, I know Vulcans don't approve of public displays of affection but you know how my species can be, and I'm completely enamoured with T'Pol I cannot help myself." He kept his voice low but not so low the Terran couldn't hear it, and he caressed the back of T'Pol's soft hand with his rough thumb. Thankfully T'Pol seemed to understand, maybe she picked it up from him through their slight telepathic connection via their touching skin, or she was aware of the Terran and smart enough to play along, but she used her other hand to stroke his exposed wrist (he had a habit of rolling his uniform sleeves up when he was working and had forgotten to lower them when they came aboard) with her first two fingers and she looked at him fixedly.

"We apologise if it makes you uncomfortable." she said to Soval, but she stared at Thy'lek in what he guessed was an attempt to gaze dreamily. Thy'lek tried to appear smitten, which was not easy considering he had no idea what that felt like, but he gave her a small, slightly shy smile. The Terran seemed sated and he walked away. Once he was gone Thy'lek let go of T'Pol's hand and flushed,

"Sorry." he said, "I panicked." She drew in a small breath of what may have been relief,

"It is all right. That was quick thinking. And you are not overly intense in your emotions."

"Uh… thank you?"

"You are welcome." He could have sworn that he saw a twinkle in her eyes as she said this. Was she teasing him? He felt himself smile. He could like this woman.

_Now when I think back to that day I wonder if it was all coincidence, or if there is such a thing called fate… or if Soval had an ulterior motive in introducing me to her. He may not have seemed it to many, but I knew him well and I know better than to dismiss the idea, as he could be quite sneaky when he wanted to be, for a Vulcan especially. Then again, my wife is almost as sneaky herself. Maybe it comes with that wicked sarcastic streak they have. Anyway, we spoke with each other for the time allotted and then Soval and I bid her goodbye. It was several years before I saw her again. But that is a tale for another time. _

_For now I'm afraid I must end this letter and go do some work, Telev has had a few ideas about tactics and he wants to run them by me. I'd better go before he gets too impatient. _

_Love always_

_Papa_

Shran lowered the PADD and shifted where he sat slightly looking at the PADD then at her awkwardly. She would not deny that she too felt awkward. It seemed that the other Shran would go into details of his and his wife's romance with each other among other things. The very idea of reading it beside Shran made her feel decidedly uncomfortable and he clearly felt the same way. She could not deny that it was touching how devoted the other Shran had been to his wife and how he was unashamed to display it, but it wasn't easy to read. Shran cleared his throat and he set down the PADD on the couch and he stood up.

"Do you want a drink." he offered.

"Please."

"Penainan?"

"Yes, thank you." He walked into the kitchen and she watched Soval curiously as the baby kicked one of the dangling toys and then became immersed with… clutching his own foot? If she didn't know better she'd swear that he was trying to put his toes in his mouth, a completely unappealing thing in her opinion. Shran returned with the drinks and he looked at Soval and chuckled,

"Not quite there son." he said crouching down beside the baby, "Give it another few tries and you'll be chewing on your toes in no time."

"You wish for him to do such a thing?" T'Pol asked, unable to mask some of her disgust. Shran looked at her over his shoulder and he grinned,

"T'Pol, every single baby in the universe, at once point or another has put their foot in their mouth. It's just something they do, along with kicking and grabbing everything in their reach. It's part of them exploring and learning."

"I fail to see how sucking on ones toes is in any way educational." She said, even as she slipped off the couch and crouched beside Shran to watch Soval. Shran laughed and his antennas squirmed in amusement.

"T'Pol, it's about learning about your own body and learning to control it. It's no different than him being fascinated by his ability to clap or grip. Soon he'll be discovering his nose and he'll be mesmerised by it, if my nephew Erib is any indication."

"His nose is there on his face." She said, suddenly feeling like she knew nothing about children. "It always has been."

"Yes, but come on T'Pol. A baby barely knows which end a bottle goes in him, all he cares about is feeling full. But once he becomes more self aware he has to start learning somewhere and his own body is the best place to start. Soon enough he'll be tugging on his antennas when he finds them, just trying to figure out what they do in relation to him."

"How do you know so much about children?" she asked, sounding almost accusing. Shran smirked,

"I'm male for a start, we're expected to know these things, besides, even when I was a child and being the baby of my family there was always someone I knew who'd had a baby, if it wasn't Old Man, it was a cousin, or an aunt or uncles or third cousin, whoever. I grew up around babies, and I'm the favourite minder for them now when I'm planet-side. Don't ask me why, because I don't know, but I love doing it so I do it all the time. You pick all this up over time." T'Pol pursed her lips and watched as Soval rolled over and lifted his head looking around. Shran beamed, "Good boy! Very good!" he crowed, scooping the baby into his arms and holding him against his chest. Soval giggled and kicked his legs out. He fisted his little hand into Shran's shirt and then threw his other hand out to T'Pol. She slipped her finger into his hand and he pulled it to him, making her shuffled closer. Then Soval let go of her finger and grabbed her shirt, pulling her even closer. For a tiny creature he was surprisingly strong. She then realised her face was inches away from Shran's. His brown eyes widened as they met hers and he seemed embarrassed. Soval laughed and tightened his grip, seemingly trying to pull the three of them together. Shran's face was even closer and she couldn't pull back because of Soval's hold. Shran seemed to flush slightly even as he reached out and tried to unlock Soval's fingers from her shirt. She also attempted to release herself, but they had little success. Shran sighed and shook his head, "Look little one, I know what you're after and it isn't happening, so it's time to let go." he said firmly.

"What does he want?" She asked, still displeased with their proximity to each other.

"He wants us to kiss, that's what he wants!" Shran exclaimed as Soval let out an impatient noise. T'Pol's eyebrows shot up to her hairline.

"I beg your pardon?"

"It's a trick children try when they feel like their parents aren't… demonstrating their feelings for each other. The idea is to keep them close to each other until the child feels adequate demonstrating has occurred." Shran explained, seeming a little flustered. Soval jerked his arm that was attached to T'Pol and she, being off balance due to leaning as far back as she could, fell forward and crashed into Shran, knocking him over and they both landed on the ground, T'Pol on top of Shran, Soval nestled between them, although he didn't seem to mind, in fact he let out a laugh of self satisfaction. Thankfully she wasn't pressing down on him, having been able to catch herself on her forearms. Still as she got her bearings she realised she was nose to nose with Shran.

The Andorian's antennas were at attention, an indication of surprise, and his eyes were fairly wide, and she could have sworn a strange darkness passed through them briefly before he said softly, "I think he's let go now." She realised Soval had indeed let go and she quickly pushed herself to her feet. She was fairly sure her cheeks were flushed with green before she quickly stamped down on the embarrassment. Shran sat up, wrapped an arm around Soval and lay him down on the mat again. It was then she noticed that the baby was covered in a red sticky substance. She'd split her drink all over Shran and Soval when she fell. Shran pulled at his silk shirt and then looked at Soval who was sticking his tongue out and licking around his mouth. It was incredible the length the tongue was reaching. Then he started sucking on his fist. "I guess he likes Penainan a lot." Shran muttered glancing down at his shirt again.

"I apologise, I should have been more careful."

"Forget it. This shirt isn't the best anyway, the weaving's not great. I can wash it. Speaking of washing, he'll need a bath. I've got some clothes that'll fit him after and I can throw what he's wearing in the wash with my shirt. Just let me clean myself up, and then we can wash him up."

"I can do it." T'Pol offered. Shran shook his head,

"You don't know your way around an Andorian facility T'Pol, I'll only be a minute and then we can bathe him together."

"Very well." she agreed, nodding.

"Why don't you get him out of those clothes while I change." She nodded and set about accomplishing that task. Soval didn't seem to approve of her attempts to undress him, and although she managed to get the dirty clothes off, he had a pout on his little lips, like she was being unkind to him. She couldn't help but feel a little jealous at how easy Shran made his interactions with Soval seem, when she had difficulty doing the smallest of tasks. She decided that she would do more research and learn quickly about how to care for her son. Shran came back, in a plain, white shirt and said, "Bath's all ready. Let's clean him up before he sticks to the floor." She nodded and scooped the baby up, nestling him in her arms. Soval didn't seem to mind this at all, he snuggled into her arms and seemed content to sleep. Unfortunately he was not so lucky.

T'Pol looked around the bathroom and noted the various facilities that were more or less the same as Vulcan ones, which were more or less like Human ones. A humanoid bathroom was a humanoid bathroom anywhere in the galaxy it seemed. Shran had retrieved a smaller bath, set it in the bigger, main one and filled the little one with water.

"Why don't you check the temperature, see if it's all right to you. Soval has a lower body temperature than me, so I don't know what he'll think of the temperature."

"It seems a little cool." she said, dipping her fingers into it. Shran shook his head,

"Test it with your elbow, it's more sensitive to hot and cold, or is it somewhere else for Vulcans?" She shook her head, passed Soval to him and rolled up her sleeves, as she noticed he already had. Testing the water with her elbow like he instructed she found that the temperature was pleasantly warm.

"That seems appropriate." Shran nodded,

"Good, here, you put Soval into the water and I'll just get him a towel for after."

"Do you have appropriate soaps?"

"We can use my brother's he won't mind. It shouldn't have any effect on his skin, Sen's a little sensitive himself, so it should be fine." Shran passed her Soval and walked out of the bathroom. T'Pol knelt down on the towel already laid at the edge of the bathroom. She cradled Soval in her arms and then carefully lowered him into the water, submerging her arms as she did. The top of her rolled sleeves were also soaked but she paid it no mind as Soval's eyes widened in surprise and then he smiled, kicking out in the water and splashing her in the face. She slipped her arm out from under his bottom but maintained her grip around his back, as she was fairly sure he was not old enough to be left on his own in the bath. Shran returned and knelt beside her. "See," he said, "You know more than you think, that's exactly how you hold him. Do you want me to wash his hair, while you hold him?"

"Very well." she nodded. Shran dipped his hand into the water and cupped some water into it and gently poured the water over Soval's shoulders and he rubbed it lightly around the aquamarine neck and then, using one hand to protect Soval's eyes he poured water over his hair, darkening it from sandy to dark brown. As Shran did this T'Pol watched him curiously. She'd never, even if she'd had to the end of time, believed that she could be in a situation with Commander Shran where they would be caring for a child that was biologically theirs, much less that they'd be kneeling side by side and giving said child a bath. Or that Shran would be so gentle and careful. Even as he worked lather into Soval's hair, he did it gently and slowly and Soval clearly approved because he cooed in contentment. T'Pol watched with interest as Shran carefully lathered the hair around the baby's antennas, then he playfully tickled the base of one making Soval squeal and laugh. She briefly wondered if Shran would giggle if someone did that to him and then she realised how illogical and inappropriate a question that was and banished it from her mind.

"Here, would you cover his eyes, make sure none of the soap gets in his eyes? It stings like hell if it gets in there and he'll scream his head off."

"Of course. Like this?"

"Yeah, that's it." He carefully washed away the suds and ran his fingers through the hair to ensure it was completely clear. "Now, I'll hold him and you can wash his body if you want."

"Alright." He pointed the right bottle out and then supported Soval with his hands and T'Pol took the bottle and squeezed some of the contents out. It smelled faintly herbal, reminding her of lavender and vanilla and was thick, almost like a cream. "Do I rub it into his skin?"

"Yes, nice and gently." She spread it out on her fingers and then took one arm and gently massaged it into the soft skin, and then she did the other. Then she did his chest and tummy and back, then finally she did his legs and feet. "Don't forget between his toes." She did so, carefully rubbing between the digits. Soval giggled and thrashed in the water, causing a great splash, getting the both of them wet. Shran laughed and kissed the top of his wet little head, T'Pol had to admit it was not as irritating as she'd have expected to be splashed. When she was done she then carefully washed the stuff off his skin. Soval's skin gleamed in the light he was now so clean. "Alright will we get him out?" T'Pol nodded and retrieved the towel, she sat on the edge of the bath and spread it over her lap. Shran waited until she was ready, then he carefully lifted the slippery child out of the bath and lay him in his mother's lap. T'Pol wrapped the towel securely around the small form and began to pat the skin dry. Shran, pulled at the corner of the towel at Soval's head to reveal a small hood, just the right size for Soval's head. The towel was pure white, like snow and Soval's skin was bright and bold against it. His little face peeked out from the folds and he smiled at them.

"It would appear he enjoys being… fussed over." she commented,

"Most babies do." Shran said softly, his hand cupping Soval's head and his thumb rubbing his brow lightly through the hood. He smiled softly at the baby, and she watched, as it seemed his face lit up in a serene expression, like he was at peace as he gazed at the child. She thought about what she'd said to Trip, and realised that she could not go through with such a cold plan. She didn't know what they would do, but she knew they'd sort out some kind of arrangement. Shran leaned forward and kissed the tip of Soval's nose, Soval squirmed a hand free and touched his father's face. Shran held it there gently, beaming proudly. They'd work something out.

* * *

Aw! I hope everyone liked that cuteness, especially if you're reading Blue Tears and getting sick of all the angst, lol.

As always, reviews are very much appreciated!

Night's Darkness


	9. Chapter 9

Sorry for the wait, but being in school twelve hours a day… yeah there's not much time to do anything else except eat and sleep.

* * *

**Chapter 9**

"We can look over those letters each on our own I think. It would be less awkward." said Shran as he patted Soval's skin dry and waited for T'Pol to pick something out from the pile of baby clothes that resided in his home. She was taking her sweet time doing so.

"Perhaps that would be best, it is… difficult to read such things when we are not intimate." Shran nodded but otherwise said nothing, having suddenly been robbed of his voice at the very idea of being intimate with T'Pol. She finally chose a simple, plain red outfit that Thy'lek grimaced at, and returned his voice

"I told Lissiel to throw that out."

"You do not approve of it?"

"I hate it. My grandmother picked it out and gave it to Erib when he was Soval's age. He was just so… red! He looked ridiculous."

"Perhaps you should choose then, if you do not approve of my choice."

"I don't understand why you chose the ugliest thing in there."

"It seemed the most practical piece of clothing."

"Babies don't care about practicality and when it comes to that shirt and trousers neither do I. Here, hold him while I pick something out." He gave Soval to his mother and rooted through the box, pulling out exactly what he wanted, which was a blue silk shirt with icy blue trousers of the same material. "Much better." he declared and held the items out. T'Pol took them, however in doing so her fingers brushed his and he jerked his hand away as a jolt of electricity shot up his spine. She reacted in kind and he could have sworn her cheeks went green in a blush like his were going blue. She busied herself with dressing Soval, who fussed under the ministrations. "Talk to him while you do it, it'll keep him distracted."

"Very well, you seem to know exactly what to do." she said, with badly suppressed bitterness.

"Hey, I grew up learning how to care for children as it was expected of me. And I learned by watching my parents and adult relations. The only real way to learn to care for a child is to have a real child and to watch how to do it with a person who does in fact know more than you." he snapped, his antenna rearing back and he jabbed himself in the chest as he spoke. She narrowed her eyes at him in what seemed to be irritation,

"One must also learn through trial and error."

"Well fine, but for the record I was only trying to help. But if you think you can handle it all then fine, go ahead." He stormed out of the playroom and into the kitchen. He found the half empty bottle of Penainan juice and poured as much as he could into a glass without making a mess. As he downed the drink, which helped him feel calmer, he tried to ignore Soval crying, disturbed by their raised voices. He could hear T'Pol speaking softly to him, but the baby wouldn't quiet, in fact the pitch of the cried intensified. He groaned and rubbed his temples willing away the oncoming headache. He really wanted his siblings home, if only to have someone to offer unwanted advice, but they were both at work.

Work. He couldn't believe it but he missed working with Ambassadors Soval and Gral. With just his son, and his admittedly confused feelings about T'Pol, to occupy his thoughts he felt like he was going to go stir crazy. This was where Lissiel was useful. If he could pick a fight with her at least he'd be distracted.

He suddenly wished to be in space again, on a ship, in space and to be able to stare out at the stars. This inevitably made him think of the Kumari. Of his crew. Of Talas. His shining gleaming Kumari, his loyal, strong, loving crew and his beautiful, vivacious, dangerous Talas. His antennas drooped completely as he once again was hit with a great force of pain as he remembered that they were all gone. Not that he ever forgot, but there were times when he just couldn't believe it and then it would hit him and knock all the strength out of his body.

He walked across the main room and stared at the painting of the Kumari, surrounded by a colourful nebula. Senkrad had spent weeks perfecting it, only just getting it done in time for his 43rd birthday. He'd loved it at once, it captured the grace and beauty of both space and ship. Next to it on the shelf was a thick book. Reaching out he pulled it into his arms, letting it rest on one forearm while his free hand opened it. Inside were pictures, images taken with an imaging device, what humans would call a camera. The first one was of himself, with Keval, Thon and Tholos. Their body language was one of protectiveness for each other, each turned towards the others, defensive from attack, but their faces were alight with smiles as they joked and talked. They were all in their mid twenties. Best friends, an unstoppable force, brothers. At least they were still alive, he'd have lost his mind, his life if they'd died. Tholos had come too close. Lissiel had been the one to ensure he was all right once they got home. Having a sister who was a physiotherapist had definite perks.

He flicked through the book, smiling sadly at the pictures of his old crew, some working at their stations, or celebrating a birthday or birth in a family. Then he paused at one. It was a high angled shot, looking down on 86 people, himself included. They were dressed in the tight leather of the Imperial Guard and standing at ease, confident smirks on their faces. That was four years ago. He was in the foreground, as Commanding Officer. His 1st lieutenant, Tarah, stood beside him, towering over him, something that had entertained the crew no end when the two had argued. What Thy'lek lacked in height, he made up for with sheer hot headedness. Thon was on his other side, with that look on his face that made Thy'lek wonder just what he was doing in the Guard. That look was completely innocent. Tholos and Keval were next to Thon. On the outer edge of the foreground was Talas. He hadn't known her that well back then, he'd had to maintain a certain level of distance from the lower ranking officers. Then her overture had changed that quite a bit.

The door of the playroom opened as he was thinking about this and T'Pol came out, Soval crying in her arms. He was dressed but clearly unhappy. T'Pol was bouncing him in her arms and looked like she was determined to get him to stop herself. Thy'lek watched her, keeping his face as bored as he could, waiting. Finally she said,

"What is the matter with him?"

"We upset him, he wants what he wanted before. Something neither of us has any intention or desire to do. So I'm afraid we'll just have to figure a way to distract him."

"How?"

"It's fairly easy to distract a normal child, so Soval shouldn't be much harder."

"Are you calling him abnormal?"

"No. I'm talking about children bonded to their parents, something Soval doesn't have."

"We are forming one with him are we not?"

"T'Pol, it's been two days! Give him a chance. He's been carted around like a bag from one universe to another and a ship to a city and back again. Babies his age need familiarity, regularity, sometimes to the point of compulsion. My niece Avena, when she was one, had to be taken around a room counter-clockwise ten times, then once clockwise before she'd go to sleep. If you went out of pattern she'd go mad."

"So, we need to establish a more stable environment for him?"

"Well that would certainly help him. But for now lets just try to make him stop crying!" He held his hands out and T'Pol passed the baby to him. He bounced Soval in his arms and when that didn't help he decided to try his never-fail tactic.

Slightly embarrassed because T'Pol was watching him intently, he held Soval so his lips were pressed to the downy head, just above a pointed ear. He began to hum softly, an old tune his father had sung when he himself was as small as Soval. His father, for all the wonderful man he'd been, had been tone deaf and Thy'lek was quite glad he had inherited his mother's good voice, although she'd rarely, if ever, sung. He remembered mostly how often she'd lectured him to not do things that looked like fun. Of course he remembered her with love, but his mother had been oddly quiet for a female. She'd been strong, dominant, beautiful and clever, but not one for idle chat. When he was little and learning to talk, he could remember how he'd been confused and a little hurt that his mother had never responded to him, or at least… that was how it had seemed to him.

_(Flashback) _

"Papa!" Thy'lek cried, banging his hand on the low table as he did. His mother, Mama, looked at him sharply in surprise. She'd been staring at a padd, but the two year old couldn't understand how staring at something for so long could be fun. "Papa!" he repeated, giving his mother a demanding look. He was hungry and she wasn't getting him anything to change that. Pouting his little lip he walked unsteadily over to Mama and pulled at her skirt. "Papa!"

"Papa is not here Thy'lek, now be quiet." she said, her hand reaching out and petting him on the head fondly. Thy'lek was confused, his stomach was growling at him, and Mama said there was nothing here to do something about it. That didn't make sense to him. Whenever his siblings cried "Papa." their stomachs were filled. Why not him? He sat on his nappied bum with a thump and pouted, his hands clutching his feet. He suddenly wanted a better look at his feet and lifted them towards his face. He was quite surprised when he toppled backwards.

Mama looked up again and she got to her feet. Thy'lek giggled and pulled at his feet as his legs kicked out. He liked that. Mama knelt beside him and her blue eyes looked him over and he stared back with a half-toothy, half-gummy smile. She smiled at him slightly and then scooped him up in her arms. He was held against her firm body and he squirmed, upset at having lost grip on his feet. He could see his limb of desire but an arm was in the way. He gave in and let Mama carry him into the room food came from. Now things were improving. He leaned against her arms and stretched out, trying to reach the door that would lead to food. "Papa!" he said insistently, pointing at the door.

"He's not in there Thy'lek." she said bluntly, "There's just food."

"FOOD!" he cried in delight. That was the word his siblings also used when they wanted to fill their stomachs. "Food! Food!" he wriggled and tried to get at the door. Unfortunately, he managed to jerk too hard and he toppled from Mama's arms. He hit the ground with a thump and began to bawl his eyes out. Mama knelt beside him and took him into her arms again. He just cried, waiting for the words of comfort that were sure to come, but none did. Mama just held him. Mama was very quiet.

_(End Flashback)_

Soval began to quiet as Thy'lek sang softly in his ear, the tune making him sleepy. Finally he was gone to the field of dreams and Thy'lek fell quiet. He then glanced embarrassedly at T'Pol who seemed impressed.

"You have an appealing voice." she said, and he blushed (he hated it when he blushed!) muttering,

"Thanks."

"Do you sing often?"

"Not as much as I did as an adolescent, I sang all the time then, played music too. My family expected me to become a professional singer and musician. You can imagine their shock when I told them I was going to join the Guard."

"Why did you wish to join if your talent lay in music?" Thy'lek debated how to answer that. Humans had a saying, 'Honesty is the best policy'. Andorians said 'Honesty will grant you honour and most likely a good few bruises'. He doubted T'Pol would actually hit him, and he could fight back, but there was Soval to think of. If he was honest, T'Pol might not let him see him again, and Thy'lek still had no idea what the lawful side of things were because Sanakral was taking his sweet time! When speed was the necessity never count on San. Finally he said,

"I joined because I wanted to. I wanted to be a solider. I wanted to live up to my oldest brother, to honour his name."

"Your brother is no longer alive?"

"No. He was killed in a battle with your people." T'Pol seemed startled but then she recovered,

"I regret that such a thing occurred." Thy'lek nodded, fighting the old grief, mingling with newer grief, pushing it down as far as he could. "How old were you when he passed on?"

"I was ten. I can remember it quiet clearly." Indeed he could, he'd been playing with his friends on the ice rink, and had just shown off an impressive (to them) trick and then it had felt like someone had cut off a part of his brain. He'd sat down on the ice hard, completely stunned, and he'd called to his family through the bond. They'd all responded, except for Tren. Tren hadn't answered and Thy'lek couldn't sense him at all. He'd burst into tears over something he couldn't quite understand and couldn't remember anything after that, except that he was at home and his whole family were in agony.

He shuddered in remembrance and Soval snuffled in his sleep. His little antennas stroked Thy'lek's neck as they moved and he smiled sadly as he stared down at him. T'Pol stared at him silently and then she said,

"Perhaps remembering is a good thing. It shows how much he meant to you." Thy'lek nodded, not bothering to tell her that he'd idolised Trenach, worshiped the ground his brother had walked on. T'Pol then said something he wasn't completely sure he heard right, "If Soval requires a stable environment, perhaps he should stay here tonight, he is already asleep and I would not wish him to be disturbed." He looked at her in surprise.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I believe you should spend time with him on your own. It would be best if you did so that you can form a proper bond with him." His grin shone out for all to see as he nodded.

"Sure. I'll be happy to have him. My siblings too." She nodded, and then stepped closer and rested her hand on Soval's back. Thy'lek shifted, his antennas flying forwards sharply so that they nearly brushed her hair. She regarded Soval for a few minutes as if she was drinking him in, and then stepped back. "I'll take good care of him." he promised.

"I know." she said softly, meeting his eyes with an odd look in hers, "I should go." He nodded and he showed her to the door. She took one more look at Soval and her hand touched his as she walked past. Both of them froze and locked their eyes in surprise. Then T'Pol walked away hurriedly. Thy'lek closed the door and leaned his back against it, trying to wrap his head around what he'd sensed from her when their skin had touched. Desire?

* * *

The house was quiet and there was an air of contentment throughout it. Senkrad however couldn't sleep. He was itching to do some painting, but he had no idea of what. He'd already done a good few sketches of Soval, and a few of the baby and his father as they played, but he had an urge to actually do something that didn't take fifteen minutes. He groaned and got out of his bed, setting Fuzzy aside, wondering briefly why he was still sleeping with the toy in his bed. He'd lied when he told Thy'lek he'd had a nightmare and that was why he'd been in the bed. Truth was, he'd been sleeping with his old stuffed animal since Thy'lek had come home. He didn't want to dwell on why right now though.

He walked out to the main room and stopped short in surprise at what he saw. Thy'lek, in his sleeping clothes, was splayed out over the couch, sound asleep and Soval was lying on his chest. The baby was faintly rising and falling as Thy'lek breathed in and out. Senkrad smiled. Thy'lek was a natural father but he never seemed to have much luck in finding someone to be with. Most of the time it was because Thy'lek didn't want to share so much of himself with another person. He was extremely self-protective. He'd been hurt too many times so he preferred to stay closed to those he met. Senkrad wished he'd find someone, he'd seen how happy being with Talas had made him. All his smiles had reached his eyes and lit them up, but not anymore. Few smiles were smiles for himself these days, most were for the benefit of others. Although… Senkrad looked at Soval and smiled even wider. The baby seemed to really bring out the old Thy'lek, the mischievous one who smiled all the time and didn't seem to have any cares. The Thy'lek before he joined the Imperial Guard. Sometimes Senkrad could still hear the argument his baby brother had had with their parents when he'd announced his choice ringing in his ears.

Neither his Mama or Papa had been pleased when the 17 year old had told them he was going to join the guard. They'd lost one child in the Guard and despite the fact that being in the guard was a great honour and social standing, they didn't want another in it. Their Papa, Belden Shran had been serving in the Guard since he'd been 19 and he didn't want his son, his youngest and, in many ways, most innocent son doing the things he himself did.

_(Flashback)_

"NO, NO, NO!" Keyas, their Mama, shouted loudly. Senkrad winced, he hated when his mother raised her voice, since it was so rare, it meant she was really angry. "You are not joining the Imperial Guard! You're going to the Art Academy with your brother to study music."

"But that's not what I want!" Thy'lek shouted, "I want to join the Guard."

"No you don't!" Keyas snarled, her cheeks a deep blue in fury, "You want to kill Vulcans, that's the only reason you want to join. You want to get back at them for killing Trenach."

"So what if that is the reason? I'm joining and you can't stop me!" Thy'lek made for the door and Belden grabbed him and pulled him back,

"Don't you walk out that door!" he snapped, gripping Thy'lek's arm tightly. Senkrad's eyes widened, his father rarely raised his voice, or was forceful with his children. He looked at Lissiel who was watching through the slightly open door beside him, and then up to see Sanakral and Sakrana, leaning over him, all their antennas were quivering.

Meanwhile Thy'lek glared at his Papa spitefully.

"You're just afraid I'll do better than you. How many years has it been Papa? Since you were last promoted? How often have you been passed over for someone else?"

"Don't you speak to your father like that!" Keyas snapped, "How dare you! You've no idea what you're doing."

"Once you join the Guard you can't go back Thy'lek. It's not all glory they make it out to be. It can be horrible, in fact often it is in times like these." Thy'lek paused and seemed to be listening. Belden let go of his arm and took his chin into his hand to make his youngest look at him. "You don't know what it's like to kill people, you've never killed anything. It's not as easy as pulling a trigger and it's over. It's being able to put out of your mind that whoever you're killing has a family like you do, maybe has children."

"I can do that." Thy'lek said, and he sounded convinced that he could. Belden shook his head.

"Thy'lek you're too passionate, you're immersed in life in a way that would make it too hard to do the things you need to do. You see power and you see beauty in everything. Do you really think that you could destroy that power and beauty with your own hands?" Thy'lek shifted and his eyes dropped to the ground. Senkrad smiled slightly, confident that his father had gotten through to him. Thy'lek pulled away and walked towards the door, then looked back,

"If I see power and beauty in everything, then out of destruction of something should come forth something equally beautiful." Keyas and Belden's antennas fell, they knew they'd lost. Thy'lek pulled the door open and walked out.

_(End Flashback) _

His eyes suddenly landed on a padd loosely held in Thy'lek's hand, it looked like it was about to fall. Not wanting any noise to disturb the peaceful scene, he quickly and silently took it out of his hand. He was about to switch it off when a sentence caught his eye. He read it more carefully thinking it was a book Thy'lek had been reading and his eyes widened in amazement. Then he grinned.

'_I think I've found my painting.'

* * *

_

_They walked side by side through the Forge, neither speaking, but they didn't need to. She turned her face upwards and let the sun shine on it fully. He reached out and took her hand, entwining their fingers. She turned to him and he smiled at her. Her fingers tightened their hold on his and they continued walking. Presently they came to a boarder where, quite suddenly, the sand stopped and ice stretched out before them. They stepped onto the ice and kept walking. Then abruptly they were in her mother's house on Vulcan._

_He let her hand go and walked into a room, as if he knew the house, as if he lived there. That was entirely normal, of course he knew the house. She followed him after removing her outer robe and putting it away. He stood by an intricate, beautiful crib and he was smiling down at the contents. She walked over and stood beside him and his arm went around her waist, holding her close. She looked at his face and then down at the baby in the cribs. She was sleeping, her near green skin and blonde hair depicting perfection. Her antennas danced as she dreamed. _

"_She's beautiful." he murmured, reaching up and running his finger over the point of T'Pol's ear, making her shiver. She turned to him and kissed him. _

"_She is."_

"_As beautiful as her mother." he added as he pulled T'Pol closer and kissed her hungrily, sending sparks through her body. As they pulled apart he took her hand again and they went to Soval's room and peeked in at their 3 year old son, who was sleeping soundly in his bed. As they shut the door he caught her mouth in another hungry kiss, gently pressing her against the door as he ravished her mouth. She held his head in her hands and pulled the both of them to their own bedroom. _

_She worked on his shirt and soon had it off, while he was pulling at her robes, taking care not to tear them. As they lay on the bed he kissed his way down her neck and she ran her hands over his blue skin. She gasped suddenly and her mouth found his and she pushed him under her as she explored his mouth with her own. He gripped her upper arms tightly and kissed her back. _

"_Ashaya." he groaned as she pulled away and disposed of her remaining clothing. They kissed hungrily again and electricity was flying up and down her body, making her shake and pant. _

"_Thy'lek!"

* * *

_

She woke up with a jolt, sitting up and looking around to see where she was. Her quarters on Enterprise, exactly where she'd fallen asleep. She was alone. She drew in a deep breath and climbed out of her bed and quickly lit her meditation candles and knelt on the mat. She closed her eyes and began to meditate, trying to understand the dream. It wasn't possible that she was beginning to be attracted to Shran. It just wasn't possible. It was just an illogical reaction to the fact that Shran was the father of her son, and she'd been reading the letters, which had been describing more deep love and a description of the garden in the other T'Pol's mind. That had been the cause of her dream. Nothing more. She didn't dwell on the fact that she was not meant to dream, since she'd meditated before going to bed.

She felt a strange tug and realised that it was Trip. He was asleep and dreaming she guessed, as that was the most often time when she felt such pulls. He seemed to be enjoying his dream if what she sensed was any indication. She quickly put up her mental barriers, she needed to be able to sleep undisturbed. Still, the hardest thing to put out of her mind was how much she'd enjoyed the dream.

* * *

Let me know what you think and if you've any thoughts on where you'd like this to go,

Night's Darkness


	10. Chapter 10

Oh My God! This story just refused to go anywhere, slowly! I hope there's people still reading this. If there are, thank you for being so patient. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Hopefully I'll be able to produce the next one much quicker.

* * *

**Chapter 10**

Thy'lek yawned as he woke up and he heard a soft noise as Soval yawned too. He opened his eyes and looked at the baby who was rubbing his face awkwardly with his hands, as babies do. He smiled and nuzzled the top of his head. Then he sat up, slowly so Soval could grip his shirt as he did. He rubbed his face and stood up, stretching as he walked into the kitchen to find something to eat. Suddenly he paused and sniffed the air. Paint, a strong smell of paint permeated the house. That usually meant Senkrad was painting. Foregoing his stomach for the moment, he walked into the room that held his own music instruments and Senkrad's painting tools. He noted that a couple of his instruments were collecting dust, particularly his meltela which he hadn't played in months. Senkrad stood near the window, painting furiously, his antennas squirming on the top of his head.

"What are you painting?" Thy'lek asked as he walked over. Senkrad smiled at him and Thy'lek chuckled. His brother had some green paint on his cheek and his fingers were covered with colour.

"Morning. I'm painting something I read." he said, nodding at the padd that was near him. Thy'lek furrowed his brow as he picked it up. He full out frowned when he read the piece.

"Sen?"

"Mm?"

"How much did you actually read?"

"Uh… just the part about the garden." His brother was distracted by painting, so didn't notice Thy'lek's frown or tone.

"This is private Senkrad!" Thy'lek said sharply. "How could you read it?" Senkrad froze and then looked at him bewilderedly.

"Private? I picked it up for you, I saw a line that caught my attention and I read the rest. I thought it was a book, how was I to know it wasn't? What is it anyway?"

"These are letters from Soval's parents to him! I'm reading them so I can understand what they were like, because I'm obligated to." he snapped, unable to explain why this felt like such a violation. The letters weren't his for goodness sake, they were someone else's. But at the same time it had been him in a way that had written them.

'_Oh great, now I'm starting that nonsense again.'_ he mentally groaned, hating his own mind at times. Senkrad stared at him with worry and he swore inwardly. He knew that look, now his brother would be on thin ice around him for the rest of the day, being careful with what he said and did, afraid to say or do the wrong thing. "Don't give me that damn look Sen like I'm about to have a break down! I keep telling you I'm fine!"

"You haven't been going to your sessions." he muttered, lowering his brush, and his head.

"Because I don't want to waste my time talking to some doctor that thinks I'm sick in the head!!" Thy'lek exclaimed, disbelieving he was having this argument again. Soval let out a whinge of concern and Thy'lek went quiet, rubbing his son's back and gently rocking him briefly to ease his distress.

"She doesn't think your sick in the head and I wish you wouldn't use that term." Senkrad said softly, looking at him from under lowered eyebrows, a sad look on his face.

"Alright then, some doctor that thinks I'm insane! I'm fine, in fact I'm better than fine, or I would be if you would all stop treating me like I'm someone who needs to be handled with great care or else I'll shatter into a million pieces."

"I don't treat you like that. And could you possibly keep it down? Honestly Thy'lek, why must you always disturb me the mornings I decide not to wake you in the traditional way?" Lissiel stood at the doorframe, leaning against it, her arms folded over her chest and the family smirk on her face.

"I know you don't Lissiel and it's about the only thing about you that I like." Thy'lek said breezily, no real heat in his words now. His sister had a knack for saying things that would give him ample opportunity to change the subject. She shrugged now and glided into the room, and she looked the painting over, her antennas twitching in interest.

"That's lovely Sen, here Lek, come and see it." Lek? She hadn't called him that in years, in fact she was the least likely person on Andoria to call him Lek. _Ambassador_ _Soval_ was more likely to call him by his childhood nickname than she was. It was enough to make him put aside all his problems and go and look at the painting.

"Wow." He would never, ever get over his brother's talent for painting. He'd captured the detailed description of the garden within the other T'Pol's mind when the couple had melded. The three trees, one representing the Vulcan, one representing his own counterpart and one representing Soval. The first two trees stretched up and their branches clung to each other, entwining in a loving way, and they sheltered the smaller, aquamarine tree with icicles hanging from the branches and sand surrounding its base like a blanket. The sky was a delicate pink, with wisps of clouds and there were smaller plants in the background, visible between the trunks of the trees. It was a vivid, beautiful, strong painting and Thy'lek knew Soval recognised it or at least knew it by the way the baby was staring at it so carefully. "It's great Sen." Unable to say more he walked away, hurrying into the playroom to retrieve clothes for Soval and then into his own room, shutting the door and sitting heavily on his bed. Soval sat in his lap and sucked on his two middle fingers, gripping the wrist of that aquamarine hand with the other to make sure it didn't get away. Thy'lek gently rubbed the base of the child's antennas, something that had the same effect on Andorian adult or child as when a dog's ears were scratched.

"I've been trying to ignore it son." he said softly, "I've been avoiding thinking about it even though it's right in front of me. You are mine, and I love you, but you are his as well and he'll always be your father. Your Papa. Maybe it'd be easier if he were anyone but another version of me. And it seems to be following me, this fact, like some monster that I've been avoiding but can't escape. The fact is… I don't know if I'm good enough to be your papa. I see, I know, I feel that this man, the one who sired you was more than me… better. How do you raise a child if you feel inadequate to do it, no matter how much you love the child?" Soval looked up at him, his eyes, that were so like T'Pol's it was uncanny, seeming to ask him something. More than likely the baby was asking him what in the world he was talking about. He sighed and stood up, laying the baby on his fur and silk covered bed while he went and put the padd away in a drawer in his room, slamming it shut with a little more energy than he'd meant to. Soval jumped but stayed quiet, looking at him curiously. "Ignore me little one." he sighed walking over and leaning forward so he hovered above Soval. "I'm just… loosing my mind."

"Wouldn't be the first time." Lissiel remarked as she shoved the door open. Thy'lek straightened up and scowled.

"Ever hear of privacy?"

"Yes but I've never thought you were overly entitled to it so I don't care if you feel indignant."

"You'll care if I break your jaw."

"Yes, but that won't make me care about giving you privacy." He groaned and rolled his eyes, antennas falling slightly. He wasn't up for a fight with his sister at the moment. "What no comeback?"

"Not at the moment." Thy'lek sat beside Soval and let his son grip his finger in his hand. Soval cooed and kicked cheerfully. Lissiel frowned,

"This must be serious. You usually put up more of a fight."

"Not today. I'm too tired." Thy'lek admitted, staring at Soval with a faraway look. Lissiel sighed, stretching her arms out and arching her back as she swooped into the room, to flop gracefully onto his bed. "Off my bed." he said automatically

"No." She looked down at Soval and smiled lightly. "You know… he reminds me of Tren. He's got his face, except for his eyes, definitely got the Vulcan's eyes."

"Her name is T'Pol, Lissiel." he growled irritably, "Could you at least call her by her name."

"I don't like Vulcan names. They feel weird in my mouth."

"Well get used to them. T'Pol and Soval are part of the family now."

"So you're going to take the Vulcan as a mate?"

"WHAT?" he exclaimed, sitting up straight. "Where the hell did that come from?"

"Well you just said that she's a part of the family. So… does that mean you and her will mate?" Thy'lek pulled a face, he couldn't answer that question, mainly because he wasn't very sure at the moment. "I mean I suppose I can see why you would be attracted to her, she's very attractive, although I think she'd look better if she grew her hair out, but I can admit, if she were anything but a Vulcan I'd probably entertain the idea of having a night with her myself."

"I did _not_ need that image in my head!" Thy'lek said, shaking his head at the stomach-churning image that brought up.

"Oh don't be such a prude." Thy'lek gave her a wide-eyed look, she'd called him many things in his life but a prude was not one of them. Lissiel continued, always maintaining that airy tone like she was discussing the weather, "She is attractive, and maybe she's got a fire within that's just harder to ignite, but worth it in the end. Perhaps taking her as a mate wouldn't be too bad."

"Lissiel I don't even know right now if I like her or not, so can we please not discuss mating!"

"Oh you like her. Otherwise you would have yelled at her by now, I know you. You're so soft."

"I am not!"

"You are. I've seen you with Jhamel." Thy'lek felt his cheeks warm. "You get this really dreamy look in your eyes when you see her, and you grin for hours after you part."

"Are we talking about T'Pol or Jhamel?"

"Thy'lek," Lissiel stood up and went to his cabinet of drawers, and opening one, took out a brush that was hers. She gave him the brush, and sat on a cushion in front of him. He sighed but started to slowly brush her hair out. "When you see Jhamel you get this dreamy look in your eyes that reminds me of when you were with Telev. But when T'Pol is mentioned your eyes get a fire in them like they did whenever Talas was mentioned before she died."

"Where are you going with this?" Thy'lek asked, trying to ignore the pain he felt at Talas' name.

"I'm saying that you should think about this. You and Talas were discussing marriage before she died. Now you're attracted to two women who are completely different to both Talas and each other."

"I just said I don't know if I like T'Pol or not!"

"Forget that, you're still attracted to her. And you're attracted to Jhamel." Thy'lek didn't answer, becoming immersed in undoing a large knot in his sister's hair.

This was a ritual between them. If they were going to talk seriously then Thy'lek would brush her hair as they did. It was something they'd done since they were children. Thy'lek had a knack for brushing hair well when he was little and Sakrana would force him to brush hers. Being the baby and a boy, he'd little choice but to agree. Lissiel, who hated the way her parents brushed her hair, made a deal with him. He'd brush her hair and she'd be nice to him while he did. The then-five year old had agreed and they'd talk to each other as it went on. Now it was the only time they didn't argue and mock each other.

"Thy'lek?"

"Look I really don't know Lis. I've no idea how I feel about either of them. I just… can't get my head straight."

"Senkrad was right, you haven't been going to your sessions and I think you should."

"Lissiel I am not going to see what humans call a Quack!"

"Interesting name and why not?"

"Because it's embarrassing. Talking about how I feel to a complete stranger? I have trouble doing so with my friends, so forget it. Besides, all they'll say is that I need some drugs, need to get out there again and time will heal all wounds. Heard it, believed it, was disappointed later. So I'm not going."

"Well alright, but what about one of us. We'd listen to you."

"Because…" Thy'lek trailed off and fell quiet. Lissiel waited, enjoying the feel of his fingers and the brush going through her hair. She made a mental note that she'd need to get it re-highlighted soon. The winter was a good time to have silver highlights. "Because I've done that before and made you all miserable." Lissiel sighed and reached behind her to squeeze his hand briefly. "I'm just tired of being the one who always makes our whole family miserable."

"It's not your fault."

"Then how come it happens?" he asked darkly. He set the brush down and plaited the hair into what humans would have called a French plait. "You'll need new highlights." he told her, dropping his hands. She lightly whacked his leg. Soval squirmed and let out a noise. He wanted attention. "Oh you're definitely my son." Thy'lek chuckled as he scooped him into his arms.

"Without a doubt." she smiled tickling the baby under the chin. Soval giggled. "What are you going to do today with him?"

"I think I'll take him up to the surface and walk to the temple of Hamenath'el. I'd like to bring him into the shrine of Corspa Zenar."

"Want some company? I'm sure Senkrad wouldn't mind going." Thy'lek rolled his eyes lightly and shook his head.

"I'm going to go with just the two of us. I want to spend time with him alone. No one's going to bother me there."

"Whatever." She waved her hand in the air and made for the door. "Hey." She turned around suddenly, a softness in her eyes. "You know why I became a physiotherapist, right?" Thy'lek smiled and nodded.

"You know why I'm still alive." she smiled and then walked out. Thy'lek could hear Senkrad saying dryly,

"You two have _the_ weirdest way of saying 'I love you' to each other." Thy'lek laughed.

* * *

"I'm glad you agreed to come along." Trip smiled at her warmly.

"You made it sound… pleasant." she said lightly, studying a sculpture. She and Trip were in the park that grew below the city, admiring the artwork from various students. T'Pol had to admit that the park must have required extreme ingenuity to be able to grow real trees and plants within a cave. Then again, she had heard that Andorians had a surprising skill with ecology, both flora and fauna. Speaking of which, she watched as a strange creature crawled speedily over the branch of a tree. It was about half a metre long, and seemed like a cross between an earth rabbit and an earth squirrel. She didn't get a very good look at it though.

Trip bent over to sniff a very dark blue flower curiously and then he leaned back on his heels.

"That's a nice one." he said,

"You have pollen on your nose." she told him, fighting the urge to wipe it away. He chuckled embarrassedly and wiped it away,

"Better?"

"Much."

"You think we should pick a couple of these for Phlox?"

"I'm sure the Doctor knows what he wishes to examine and will be able to collect them himself. Some of these plants may be illegal to take."

"Yeah, and we don't wanna get the Andorians all riled up by taking their flowers." Trip chuckled in amusement but T'Pol did not see the humour in the suggestion.

"Andorians are fiercely protective of their eco-system and all within it. They no doubt have many rules over the transport of all such things. From what I have heard it is because they are so protective of it that they have never had a world war."

"Yeah I found that real hard to believe in the museum, considering what we've seen of the Andorians?"

"I believe some of that is… bravado. A shield to protect themselves."

"Well they didn't have much luck when it comes to aliens, did they?" Trip was thinking of the Orions, Vulcans and Tellerites, all of whom the Andorians had fought with at one point or another.

"They have had some luck with other species, I believe they are very strong allies with the Caxtonians."

"Who are they?"

"They are a species Vulcans know very little about. Because they are so close to Andorian territory my people did not approach them."

"But now that things are better between your people and Shran's?"

"I believe we will make contact with many of Andoria's allies." Trip nodded and paused in their wanderings to study a sculpture. As T'Pol stared at it, it seemed to change. She turned her head slightly and it changed completely, yet didn't move. "This is an impressive feat of art."

"It's making me kinda dizzy." Trip muttered, almost cross-eyed. He shook his head, "Come on, let's keep going. The park's huge and I want to see everything."

"Very well." As they wandered they said little and T'Pol found her mind wandering to Soval and Shran. She wondered what they were doing. She hoped they were spending their time well and forming the appropriate bond.

Her mind suddenly brought her dream from last night to the foreground and she nearly stopped.

"You ok?" Trip glanced at her in concern.

"I am fine." she said, yet she couldn't help but be drawn into the dream. She'd felt such contentment and peace that she hadn't had since before she'd begun taking Trellium. It seemed unlikely that such a calm could be achieved with someone as passionate as Shran. Even with Trip she didn't feel such calm and she'd have considered the human to be slightly more tranquil than the Andorian.

"You know Shran's invited the senior staff to a bar tomorrow night. He says we need to find out how to really party. You think you might come?" T'Pol hid her surprise of Trip bringing up the very man who'd been in her thoughts.

"I don't believe so. If Shran is taking you somewhere I shall care for Soval."

"Shran's got him for all of today?"

"I said I would collect him at 1900 hours. Shran said he was taking him to a temple on the surface."

"A temple?"

"He said that there was a shrine of an ancient hero there. Shran mentioned he's always admired the man."

"Hm, sounds like he's really taken to being a dad."

"He seems to find great pleasure in caring for Soval. He also seems to find it extremely easy."

"You're not saying Shran's a better parent than you are you?"

"He's been raised to care for children, and has had much experience with them."

"You could say the exact same thing about fighting with them ice picks, and Shran lost to Cap'n Archer who'd never fought like that in his life. Experience doesn't always mean you're better."

"I do not believe that is a fair comparison Trip." She felt a need to defend Shran at Trip's words. "Shran was devastated by the loss of so much, his ship, most of his crew and of Lieutenant Talas. And Captain Archer is his friend. Despite his anger, I find it hard to believe he could have lost so easily."

"So what are you saying?"

"I believe he may have been holding back somewhat, reluctant to truly kill Captain Archer."

"So what? He just challenged the fight to get himself killed?"

"I'm not saying that. However, I just have difficulty believing that he would be so easily defeated. There is also the matter that Captain Archer severed his antenna, which rendered him unconscious, and unable to fight."

"I thought the antenna being cut off rendered him defenceless."

"It is a fairly important part of the Andorian physiology. The loss is extremely severe, that much is clear from Shran's reaction…"

_(Flashback)_

"Say you quit!" Archer growled as he tightened the chain around Shran's neck.

"Never." Shran gasped, still struggling. T'Pol could see a strange glint in the Andorian's eyes. Resignation perhaps? Archer sighed heavily and raised the Ushann-tor above his head before bringing it down.

There was a stunned second of silence.

Shran screamed in agony and the Andorian soldiers ran over. They pulled Archer away sharply freeing their commander and then laying him down as he screamed again. One, a man she recognised from P'jem, lifted Shran's head and laid it in his lap gently as the Andorian commander fell unconscious, but began to tremble.

"Get over here Denobulan!" snapped another Andorian, shoving Archer so hard he nearly fell over. Phlox obeyed at once, rushing over and scanning Shran carefully.

"He's going into shock." the doctor said grimly. T'Pol walked over urgently, "We need to get him to sickbay now!" The Andorians lifted their fallen commander carefully and laid him on the awaiting gurney. It had been set up with the expectation of Archer laying on it, not Shran. The Andorian was shaking worse, sweat glistening on his skin. T'Pol watched as the Andorian soldiers pushed the gurney as fast as they could. Crewman Cutler tended to Archer who seemed dazed. Clearly he had not been expecting such a severe reaction. Travis looked horrified. Hoshi was trying to comfort him. T'Pol looked at the ground. There, in a small pool of blue blood, lay the severed piece of antenna. She stared at it, unable to look away. Her thoughts turned to sickbay, where Dr. Phlox was no doubt doing his best to care for Shran. She found herself hoping that he would recover. Of course, knowing how stubborn the man was, nothing but survival was likely or acceptable.

_(End Flashback)_

"So? What are you trying to say?"

"I am simply trying to say that I don't believe it is fair to compare an incident like that with parenting. Experience is key to caring for children." Trip looked sour. He didn't seem to appreciate her defending Shran. T'Pol pressed her lips together. They walked through the park slowly, glancing at the artwork. Yet the companionable feeling between them was gone. T'Pol fought not to sigh as she studied the man beside her out of the corner of her eye. Trip was so unpredictable, it was frustrating at times. "Perhaps we ought to reunite with the group." she suggested at length, knowing there was nothing that could be done to bring back their companionship. Trip nodded, a slightly sour look still on his face. Yet he seemed troubled, his brow drawn into a frown and his eyes faraway.

Together they walked back to the entrance of the park, reuniting with Captain Archer, Hoshi, Travis and Malcolm. The group didn't seem to pick up on the iciness between the two as they discussed what they'd seen. Suddenly a voice called to them from above.

"Archer! Well this is an unpleasant surprise." Looking up they saw Ambassador Gral staring down at them with a wide grin from a bridge above them. "What are you pathetic excuses for creatures doing here?"

"Avoiding you like the plague. You stink!" Archer responded with a wide grin. "When was the last time you took a proper bath?"

"Bah! You talk of smells? You've no room to talk." Gral pottered over the bridge and down a set of steps to meet them on their level. He held his hand out and Archer gripped it. "You seen Shran yet?"

"Yeah, we were at his house a few days ago for dinner."

"Humph. He's never had me over for dinner. Suppose that's just as well. Andorian food makes my stomach turn." grumbled the Tellerite. Archer grinned even wider. The group began to head back into the city, which was bustling with activity. "So what's this I hear about you having a sprog Vulcan? With Shran no less." Gral grinned up at T'Pol, whose eyebrows twitched. "I thought I saw a spark between you two on Enterprise. Didn't know you'd wind up expelling him a son." T'Pol fought every urge to sigh as she said,

"I did not give birth to our son, but yes, he is mine and Shran's. We are not in a relationship. It is a complicated tale, one I'd prefer not to explain." Gral rolled his eyes and waved a clawed hand in the air.

"Ah, that Andorian will probably let something slip. I don't need a lecture on how you procured a child without mating. You'd make the traditional way sound boring." Archer coughed awkwardly and tried to change the subject,

"So Gral, what's happening with the negotiating between you and the Andorians and Vulcans?"

"Ah a load of tedious negotiations. I don't think I could have taken another day holed up with Shran and Soval and going over every single detail. Soval seems determined to bore me to death."

"Ambassador Soval is simply being thorough. You would not want a slip up in the details to result in the dissolving of all you have worked for." T'Pol said pointedly. Gral grunted, he couldn't argue with that.

"Still it's nice to get a break. Even if it has to be in this dump of a city." Several Andorians paused and narrowed their eyes at the Tellerite angrily. A laugh broke the tension.

"Ambassador Gral it's no wonder you try my brother's patience." They all looked to see Sanakral strolling up to them, two young babies, only a few months older than Soval, peeping over his shoulders curiously. "Still according to him, the more you complain, the more you like a place." Gral snorted,

"Shran talks a lot." he said dismissively, but his eyes were twinkling. Sanakral laughed again.

"Well I have to say it's nice to hear him talking so much. Sometimes he gets all moody and silent and believe me, that's when you have to watch your back. Anyway, I don't suppose you're after him are you?"

"Not really." Archer shook his head, "We're just walking."

"Your brother informed me that he was taking Soval to a temple on the surface, to a shrine."

"Ah. The shrine of Corspa Zenar. He's mad about the man. Can't say I blame him."

"Who's Corspa Zenar?"

"He's an ancient hero from over 1000 years ago. He lived during a time when, because of an evil empress, all men were treated at objects. We had to obey all women no matter who they were. Corspa Zenar forwarded the revolution that got us back our equality. Some believe he was the incarnate of Hamenath'el, the spirit of Men and Masculinity. I don't, but I do believe he was a great man."

"He sounds like some of the heroes of Earth." Travis said with a smile. Sanakral shrugged,

"A hero is a hero. Corspa Zenar was famous for his song of freedom as well as his passive aggressiveness. Have to say, I don't want to think about what would have happened if men had tried to take women on. I'm not stupid enough to take my wife on. She'd pin me and give me whatfor with no problem and she's the calm one of us."

"Passive aggressiveness?" Archer questioned, raising his eyebrows. Sanakral grimaced,

"I know, I know, so pathetic sounding but have you ever wrestled with an Andorian female? And they were more aggressive back then. And besides, there's a rumour that Corspa Zenar was part Aenar. Having met Jhamel… I can certainly see where it came from."

"Speaking of talking a lot." Gral grunted, eyeing Sanakral. Sanakral rolled his eyes.

"I'm chatty. Drives my wife mad at times, to say nothing of my siblings. I swear the amount of ways they have tried to shut me up is incredible."

"I can imagine." Gral said in a mock whisper. Sanakral smirked.

"I'm sure you can." He said, "Anyway, I'd best be going. Only that my daughter was ill this morning I'd already be in work. Senkrad's minding her now, so I can get some work done."

"You take your children with you to work."

"Of course. I'm the father, I have to take them with me. Lealion can't, she's the principal of the primary school in the city, besides males rear children. Anyway. I really have to go, so I might run into you soon, because I am determined to see this nephew I suddenly have. Senkrad gave me this, but it's just not a substitute for the real thing." Sanakral held out a sheet of parchment to T'Pol as he spoke. She took it and unfolded it. Her eyebrow twitched,

"Impressive." she said softly. Archer peeked over her shoulder and raised his eyebrows. In strong dark strokes of what appeared to be charcoal, was a drawing of Shran and Soval. Shran had the baby in his hands, lifting him up in the air so the baby was above him and their identical noses were touching. Antennas were touching in an affectionate gesture and both were smiling widely. Soval's little hands were reaching out to his father's face and Shran's eyes were alight with delight as he stared into the child's. Archer smiled at the tender moment.

Gral snatched the parchment out of her hands and looked it over. He snorted,

"Scrawny thing ain't he? I can see where he gets that from." He eyed the picture. "Picture isn't much either." Sanakral scowled,

"This happens to be a brilliant drawing my younger brother has done, in less than fifteen minutes. I'd like to see you do better Ambassador." And he took the parchment back so sharply it nearly ripped. Gral growled at him and bared his teeth. Sanakral's glare dared him to try something. Archer was amazed at the sudden change in the two men. But before he could say anything to prevent a scuffle another voice intersected.

"Hey! I've spent months working with you Gral! Don't go spoiling it all by listening to my moron of a brother." Shran sauntered over to them, a smug smile on his face, clearing enjoying the fact that he was the only one who knew how to handle both men. Soval peered out from over his shoulder curiously, his little antennas whirling around with interest. The baby's cousins cooed as they stared at him over Sanakral's shoulders.

"Moron! Why I ought to-"

"Calm down San, I'm perfectly entitled to call you a moron."

"Oh really?" Sanakral faced his brother now, arms folded over his chest. "And why is that?"

"Because you are a moron." Shran replied with a cheeky smile. Sanakral opened his mouth to retort but Soval chose that moment to let out a curious noise, that sounded rather like,

"Ba-pa-ha!" which distracted both men quite suitably.

"So this is my nephew! Give him here." Sanakral said with a broad grin.

"Only if you give me mine." Shran said as he turned around to let Sanakral take Soval from him. Soval didn't seem to appreciate this and he let out a shriek, clinging onto Shran's shirt. Sanakral didn't press.

"Never mind." he sighed, "Maybe another time." Shran nodded as he reached out and plucked a babe from his brother's back. Just as quick he grabbed the second. Both babies laughed and clapped their hands eagerly before they clung to Shran's shirt. "Hey! Give me back my sons."

"I want to say hello to them!" Shran said curtly, raising an eyebrow at his brother. Sanakral stared at him and then said,

"You are spending waaaay too much time with Vulcans baby brother." Shran grimaced. Gral snorted in amusement although whether it was the Vulcan part or the 'baby' part he was laughing at was anyone's guess. Shran rolled his eyes at the Tellerite and then grinned down at his nephews. Soval tugged on his shirt and he looked at his son over his shoulder.

"You can't possibly be jealous Soval." he said. Soval pouted his lips and whined softly. Shran sighed and handed his nephews back. Then he reached back and lifted Soval, bring him around to the front. Soval beamed and kicked his legs, happy he wasn't being ignored. T'Pol stepped closer and ran her finger over her son's cheek. Soval let out a laugh and wriggled in Shran's arms. He reached out and grabbed T'Pol's finger, squeezing it tightly. "Hm… that reminds me, I need a word with you T'Pol." Shran said, "Sanakral, wait here."

"I'm late for work as it is!"

"So you can be a little later! Just wait!" Sanakral sighed heavily and began to tap his foot. Shran led T'Pol aside.

"I wanted to talk to you about Soval's diet." Shran explained simply. "Normally, Andorian children are introduced to solid foods at Soval's age, but continue feeding from their mother's milk for another while. I've nearly finished reading the letters from the other Shran, and he wrote how there was a problem during the later stage of the pregnancy with the other T'Pol. It meant she couldn't feed Soval with her own milk."

"I remember reading that." T'Pol agreed, "They fed Soval with special formula instead, the other T'Pol was uncomfortable about the idea of another woman feeding her child. I believe it was because Soval would form an attachment to his primary caregiver and she wanted to ensure that she spent enough time with him."

"Yes well… I want to know what you want to do now. I already talked to my sister in law, and she said she'd be happy to provide Soval with milk." T'Pol raised an eyebrow at him and he shrugged, "What?"

"I would have preferred it if you had consulted with me first. I am Soval's mother."

"No one's saying you're not." Shran said, sounding exasperated, "Why do you keep doing that?"

"Doing what?"

"Why do you keep acting like I'm some idiot who doesn't remember that you are Soval's mother? T'Pol every single time I look at Soval I know it! He's got your ears and your eyes for goodness sake! How could I forget it?"

"I am not treating you like that. I am simply-"

"You're simply reminding me of the fact because you're afraid I'm going to try and replace you! For the love of the spirits T'Pol! I already told you I wouldn't." Shran was glaring at her and she stared stonily back. The tension was broken when Sanakral called,

"You two going to be at this a while? Because I'm leaving now!" Shran's eyes shot to his brother who frowned in confusion, "Wait, weren't you at Corspa Zenar's shrine?"

"An hour ago San!"

"Oh… my bad. I'll talk to you later Thy'lek." Sanakral waved to his brother, and then nodded to the others. His two sons secure on his back he walked away quickly. Shran looked back at T'Pol who stared back, their eyes were boring into the other's.

"Why do you keep acting like I'm trying to steal him away when all I want to do is spend time with him?"

"I do not. Why do you keep overreacting to what I am saying?"

"I think considering how you just dumped this on me, I've been very well tempered. Don't accuse me of overreacting!"

Gral hooted and said quite loudly,

"First Jhamel, now T'Pol! You my blue friend have very varying tastes." Shran looked at Gral in surprise.

"What?"

"You and Vulcan _and_ you and Jhamel, oh my friend I am impressed."

"We are not-"

"Ah, so you say." Gral cut T'Pol off, "And you'd like to convince us with all your bickering. But I can tell that you two, if you were alone, would be all over each other like Klingon targs in heat." Vulcan, Andorian and Humans were all too stunned to say a word. Gral rubbed his fat belly in amusement. "Hm… and Jhamel as well. I've heard Andorians can have more than one mate, and sometimes all at once, in the same bed. Now that would be something!" Shran went a slight blue, and T'Pol was completely speechless. Archer was torn between grimacing and laughing. Trip's expression was very dark. The others tried to act as if they weren't there. Finally Shran snapped,

"Shut your snout you fat pig!" Gral snorted and said,

"Admit it Shran, go on."

"I won't!"

"Come on!"

"Gral if you don't shut up right now, I swear I'll-"

"My, my, what's going on here?" They all turned to see who else was joining the argument. Archer's jaw dropped in surprise he shouldn't have felt. T'Pol raised her eyebrows and Shran grinned. Telev smirked at them, "It sounds like fun. Can I join in?"

* * *

Lol, now all we need is Sten and the whole lot are back from the dead. If anyone has any suggestions or ideas or whatever, I'm always glad to hear them. As always, reviews in any shape or form are appreciated

Night's Darkness


	11. Chapter 11

OMG! I've actually updated this fic. I'm amazed; the fic got stuck in a rut and refused to budge. Now it's wiggled out! Wahoo! Hope people are still reading this. 

Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 11**

Telev sauntered over to the group, his arrival dissipating the tension that had been growing. He smirked at them in a very smug way and said,

"So… what were you talking about?" Shran shrugged,

"It doesn't matter, forget about it Telev." Telev's smirk widened and he rested a hand on Shran's arm. Shran's eyes flew to the hand and then back to Telev's face. His antennas poked forwards. Telev let his eyes sweep over the group, then he stared at Soval curiously.

"And who is this?" he questioned, his voice smooth and light.

"This is my son Soval." Shran answered, then he nodded to T'Pol, "This is Soval's mother, T'Pol. And no I am not involved with her. It's a very long story." Telev was amused,

"Well I look forward to hearing it." His dark eyes flew to T'Pol, looking her over curiously. She stared at him questioningly. Gral made a faint grunting noise. "I saw you and wanted to ask you if you were going to ever get back to me about getting together for drinks." His voice was directed to Shran,

"Oh right. I forgot." Shran muttered, looking down at Soval. "I've been rather busy these past few days."

"I can believe it." Telev eyed Soval again. "He looks like you Shran."

"Nah. He looks like my older brother?"

"Which one?"

"Trenach."

"Ah." Telev's smirk changed to a smile and he squeezed Shran's arm comfortingly. Shran's eyes twinkled briefly in gratitude. Soval kicked and hit Telev's arm. Telev was startled but amused. "He's a fiery one."

"He is isn't he!" Shran beamed proudly at Soval who smiled back with a slightly drooling smile. "He's going to be a handful when he's older. Crawling, walking, talking, fighting."

"Fighting?" T'Pol demanded far sharper than she should have for an emotionless person.

"Of course. He'll have to learn how to fight. It's part of being an Andorian." Shran said frowning at her.

"Aside from having a voracious appetite for… certain things." Telev smirked, and rubbed his hand over Shran's arm. Shran grimaced.

"He's not even a year old Telev. Don't get me thinking about that nightmare yet."

"Nightmare?" Telev gave him a confused look and Shran raised his eyebrows. Telev apparently understood what that meant, because his face cleared, "Oh, I see." and he gave T'Pol a funny look. She poked an eyebrow up questioningly but neither Andorian explained themselves. Gral grunted, eyeing Telev with great interest, looking between the two Andorians, as they seemed to be saying a lot more than their mouths were speaking. The Tellerite stroked his beard, seemingly mystified by Andorian relations, but very interested. Trip suddenly spoke up,

"Hey, do you remember me? Commander Tucker?" he seemed eager to open a new topic. Telev looked him over, doing it in a way that felt like the equivalent of a very thorough undressing.

"Of course, the man who literally got in the middle of a fight he shouldn't have." Shran rolled his eyes, clearly amused. Trip shrugged,

"Hey it worked didn't it?"

"I will admit it did, but you're lucky Shran had given me specific orders not to fire upon Enterprise." Archer raised his eyebrows at Shran who gave a reluctant shrug.

"Well trust me, it was a very valid warning to give to someone as trigger happy as Telev here."

"Me? Trigger happy. Ha! That's rich." Telev laughed, "You're more trigger happy than I ever will be." He bumped his hip against Shran's as he spoke, jostling the older man. Shran raised his eyes to the roof of the cave and said,

"I never said I wasn't trigger happy, I'm just saying you were the one who had to be warned."

"Well… I suppose it was tempting to just bat away the annoying thing with a few blasts. I'm not a patient man when it comes to my people who might be dieing."

"Spoken like a real Guardsman." Shran approved.

"Am I anything but?" Telev arched his antennas forward curiously with a smirk.

Shran sighed and shrugged, "You tell me."

Telev laughed, and his arm went around Shran's shoulders, giving him a one armed hug. Shran shook his head. "Look, why don't you join us tomorrow, help me teach these pink-skins about how to have a good time."

"Oh I wouldn't miss it!" Telev smirked, "Ambassador Gral, will you be joining us? I hear you're an excellent tenor."

Gral spluttered and Shran gave him a smirk, "Did you think I'd keep quiet about that?"

"I shouldn't have!" Gral exclaimed, his cheeks colouring under his whiskers, "Oh I'll get you for that Shran."

"Oh come Ambassador," Telev said, striding over to him and resting his hand on the shorter man's shoulder. Gral eyed it with some discomfort, "everyone has their embarrassing moments. Both Shran and I have, more often than not we've been together when they occur."

"Telev." Shran called warningly, "You like breathing?"

"Yes."

"Then back away from the pig, shut your mouth and you will continue to do so."

Telev gave a false, airy sigh and returned to Shran's side, making a show of pressing his lips together in a vow of silence. Shran shook his head. "T'Pol, I think we should probably talk."

"Agreed." she said rather firmly, clearly having been thinking about that very thing. Turning to her crewmates she said, "I will accompany Shran, and shall return to Enterprise later."

"That's fine." said Archer with an encouraging smile. "We'll see you later."

Trip was scowling at Shran darkly and Telev eyed the engineer with some suspicion. Shran ignored Trip, his eyes fixed on T'Pol. Gral just looked rather confused.

* * *

T'Pol followed Shran until they were in the park again and they found a quiet spot where they sat on a bench and she held Soval in her lap.

"We're going to have to learn to get along. Soval doesn't deserve to have two parents who are continuously at each other's throats."

"We are hardly at one another's throats constantly. We just disagree on many subjects."

"Well I don't think it should be on every little detail to do with _our_ son's life." said Shran firmly, staring at the baby.

"We both want what's best for him. There's no dispute with that."

"Of course. If you're not dedicated to doing what's best for your child then you don't deserve to be a parent."

"I agree."

"But T'Pol, we both have different opinions of what's best for our boy. We need to be able to reach some form of compromise. And don't think I haven't been aware of the fact that when Enterprise leaves you'll want to take Soval with you. But I'm going to make it perfectly clear that just as I will not take Soval from you I won't let you take him from me."

"Then we may have a problem right there."

"No kidding." Shran snorted, "It's a rather big problem."

"Have you informed your government of the situation?"

"I have, or should I say, Sanakral has for me. Since he's on the government, he said he'd take care of it for me. What about you?"

"I informed Minister T'Pau about the situation and she told me she would speak to the council before telling me how this will be handled by the Vulcan laws."

Shran grunted and scuffed the ground with his boot.

"Politics are a nightmare."

"Yet you seem fated to being involved in them."

"Andorians don't believe in fate. We believe you make your own destiny, that nothing is predetermined." Shran gave her a fierce look, he seemed to have true passion about what he was saying and she could not fathom why he would feel so strongly over a single belief.

"I simply meant that you seem to have a talent for politics and it is useful since you continue to be involved in it."

"Well… if I had a choice I wouldn't. It gives me a headache, how everything is so… grey. Isn't that what humans say? Nothing is clearly defined, it's many shades of grey?"

"I believe that is what they say, it means that nothing is, as you said, defined, black and white. Everything is many tones of grey."

"Children are fortunate that they don't have to see things that way." Shran chuckled and he said, "My niece once said to me that children should rule the universe because they see things as one or the other and there would be no need for such messy things like politics."

"Did you explain to her that it would not be appropriate for a child to have any such control."

"No. Why destroy her belief? It's a fair point as far as I'm concerned." T'Pol and Shran stared at each other, and then they both looked away. "Damn this is so complicated." T'Pol had to agree.

Soval cooed as his antennas stroked his mother's arm and then he clapped his hands, beaming at the sound they made. Shran laughed and tickled him under the chin. Soval tried to grab his hand but only managed to latch onto one finger, which he tried to put in his mouth.

"Ah, ah, son. No." said Shran firmly, pulling his finger away. Soval pouted. Shran reached into his pocket and drew out something wrapped in paper. He opened it to reveal a small red sweet, which he placed in Soval's hand.

"He is too young for such sweets, he might choke." T'Pol said with a sharp look at Shran.

"As soon as that thing touches his tongue it'll dissolve. Relax." Shran gave her an irritated look. "I never choked on them when I was his age, and none of my nieces or nephews have either."

Meanwhile, Soval had managed to put the sweet in his mouth, although he may have just achieved it by accident. After a moment he let out a giggle and some red syrup fell out of his mouth.

"We should not indulge him with sweets."

"It's a single sweet, quit trying to tell me what to do T'Pol, and quit blowing everything out of proportion."

"I am not-"

"Yes, you are! Everything I've done today you've seen you've reacted like I don't know what I'm doing."

"I have not."

"Yes you have!" Shran's antennas were quivering with growing exasperation and T'Pol flattened her lips as she repressed her own irritation. She could not understand why Shran was so difficult or why he always seemed to, as humans would say, get under her skin. Logic told her his parenting was most likely sound from an Andorian perspective, yet she couldn't help but find herself trying to dictate to him how they should treat their son.

"According to Andorian law, I'm within my rights to claim full custody, despite the fact that I was not involved in Soval's conception. However, as I've said before I'd rather not do that, so we'd better figure out a good way of compromising or else our governments are going to get involved and I'd rather not have that occurring.

"Vulcan law states that although blood parents are within their rights to raise a child, in the end whatever is best for the child is the utmost importance."

"Now that I can agree with. But I hope you're not saying that it's better for Soval to be with you as opposed to me."

"I am his mother."

"So what? I'm his father. In Andorian society fathers are more involved than the mothers."

"On Vulcan parents share the parenting equally."

"In theory maybe, but not in practise!"

"I beg your pardon?"

"You can't honestly expect me to believe that Vulcan parents share everything to do with the child perfectly equal. It's just not possible. Between job hours, work outside of the job and the sheer fact of personality, there's never a perfect balance."

"You are using your judgement of your own people dictate how you see mine."

"No I'm not! Oh for the love of the spirits! Can we go two minutes without disagreeing on everything except the fact that we keep disagreeing?" Shran threw his hands up in the air and then scuffed the ground with his boot moodily. They sat in silence for a few minutes, the only sound being Soval's soft noises. "All right, we've both made it clear that neither of us wants to give Soval up."

"Yes."

"But let me ask you something." Shran's eyes had narrowed and his antennas were twitching forward. "Who do you think Soval is safer with?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Who do you think he'd be safer with?"

"If you are implying that I would harm my child-"

"That's not what I mean. I mean, do you think Soval is safer with you, on a Starship that has a terrible habit of falling under threat, or on a planet where yes he might hurt himself while he's playing or training, but where he's unlikely to run into life threatening dangers like an alien attack."

"Considering Andoria's streak of having vicious disagreements with other species-"

"T'Pol, you know I've got a point! Don't go picking at aspects that we can't control."

T'Pol fell quiet; unable to deny that there was some truth to what Shran had said. Enterprise did have a very back track record of running into danger. If she was honest with herself, if Soval had come to her before Enterprise had entered the Expanse, of course she would have given him to his father, but now…

"If you did leave Soval with me on Andoria, I would make sure you were as involved as possible." said Shran quietly, his eyes fixed on Soval. "I'd send you letters, telling you what he'd been up to, I'd send pictures and recordings of him too. I wouldn't cut you off from him."

T'Pol looked him in the eyes and she was surprised to see such a genuine look in the brown orbs.

"Thank you." she settled for saying, unsure what else to say. "However nothing has been decided yet." Shran nodded, "If this ends with Soval staying with me, I will make sure you are kept well appraised of his growth and activities."

"Thanks." he said gruffly. Shran suddenly looked her dead in the eyes and seemed to be thinking something even he couldn't quite understand. Slowly, he looked away, staring down at his hands. Finally he drew himself up and got to his feet.

"What if one of us tried to be reassigned?" he offered, frowning in thought.

"Reassigned?"

"One of us could be posted where the other is, then we wouldn't have to fight over who gets to keep Soval with them."

"I have already considered the matter." This was not a lie, it had indeed crossed her mind, several times in fact. "But I cannot just leave Enterprise, and you are not allowed back into space for half a year."

Shran blew out a huff of air, folding his arms as he scowled,

"I figured it was worth asking, I didn't really think it would work. I know you wouldn't leave your crewmates. I understand that." He pursed his lips, "I could ask the Imperial Council to let me join Enterprise in some fashion, although I've no idea in what way, once the half year is up. I bet pink-skin would love that." The scowl deepened, "Getting to order me about."

"Perhaps you could be an Andorian representative, then you would answer directly to the Imperial Guard, not Captain Archer."

"I'd still have to answer to him. He may be my friend but I'm not going to take orders from anyone but a fellow Andorian." Shran stuck his chin out to emphasis his stubbornness. He hardly needed to, T'Pol knew quite well what he was like.

"Do you have any other suggestions?"

"No. Do you?"

"Not at the moment."

Shran sat down again, and he reached out to let Soval squeeze his finger. Soval cooed softly, his little antennas whirling around and his feet kicking out. "In the end I suppose we have to… just decide what's best for Soval."

"We have different opinions of what that is exactly."

"Well… we'll just have to work something out. I mean I want Soval to grow up and learn how to fight like I did."

"I would prefer he learn the teachings of Surak, and when he is old enough, that he begin the training to suppress his emotions."

"Well… I won't say no to teaching him old Surak's teaching, since that's important to you, I guess." T'Pol felt the urge to roll her eyes but repressed it. "But no way in hell am I letting you teach our son how to repress his emotions!"

"It is an integral part of what it means to be Vulcan."

"Just as being passionate and emotional is part of being Andorian! If Soval hopes to be accepted by Andorians when he's an adult as an Andorian then he'll have to be able to fight and he'll have to be emotional."

"If he is to be accepted as a Vulcan by my people he must have his emotions suppress." Their voices, which had been getting louder, obviously upset Soval because he began to cry. T'Pol automatically began to jiggle him in his arms. Soval only cried louder and then he suddenly threw up all down his front. T'Pol was alarmed and looked to Shran for assistance. Shran rummaged through a bag he'd had over his shoulder and pulled out some tissue and began to clean the crying child up.

"Here, you get the rest of it, I'll get his extra clothes out." He passed the tissue to her and T'Pol wiped at Soval's mouth and under his neck.

It took them ten minutes to clean and change Soval together but the child did not stop crying. Shran wondered if he was hungry but Soval had no interest in the bottle when it was offered. T'Pol tried rubbing his back with his head on her shoulder but that didn't work either.

"Perhaps we should take him to a doctor." she suggested, feeling slightly panicked, something she was having difficulty repressing.

"We can't just bring him to a doctor after a little throwing up." sighed Shran, obviously racking his brain for an idea. T'Pol passed Soval to Shran but the Andorian had no more luck than she had. "Do you know what I think?"

"What?"

"I think our son has had enough of our bickering and wants us to focus more on bonding with him, as opposed to arguing."

"Do you think he is crying because he is in pain because we have yet to form a bond with him?"

"Maybe, I'm not sure."

"What can we do?"

"When you meditate, can you reach out with your mind?"

"Yes, sometimes, why?"

"I've an idea, but I'll need your help. Come on, we should go somewhere more private."

"Your home?"

"Yes. It's the best place. Let's go." Shran cradled Soval in his arms and T'Pol quickly swept everything back into the bag. There was a worrying sense of urgency about what was happening.

Shran kicked the door of his house open and then proceeded to direct T'Pol to a room that was clearly a training room. He deposited Soval, whose cries had not lessened, in her arms and she went into the training room.

T'Pol rocked Soval, staring into his face, which was a deep colour, all scrunched up as he howled. With her Vulcan hearing T'Pol could hear Shran kicking his sister and brother out of the house, promising an explanation later. A few moments later he returned and knelt before T'Pol.

"What is your plan?" she asked, wanting nothing more than to sooth the child.

"I want you to guide us both into a meditation, I've done a few before but never a Vulcan styled one. Never thought I'd willingly do one either. While we're doing this, I'll reach out to Soval, and so can you, and we can make a new attempt to form a bond with him."

"Will we not be forcing this upon him."

"We'll take it gently, but I don't know what else we can do. I'm not an Aenar, I can't just read Soval's mind or whatever."

"I can try but I do not know how effective my instructions will be. I have never guided anyone into a meditation such as the one you are suggesting."

"Well, as humans say, 'First time for anything'." Shran sighed, looking thoroughly uncomfortable. "I guess Soval should lie between us." T'Pol lay Soval on his back, his crying only increased. "Your move."

T'Pol drew herself up and assumed her usual meditation position. Shran copied her, after kicking off his boots.

"Close your eyes." she instructed. Shran narrowed his eyes at her and then shut them, his antennas reached out to her suspiciously. "Visualise your breath as a white light. Each time you breath in imagine that this white light is filling your body, and as you exhale you are releasing all tension, all anger. As you do this you will begin to feel calm and centred." Shran seemed to be doing as she instructed, his brow was creased in concentration. "When you are completely centred you will have reached the optimum state of meditation." T'Pol closed her own eyes and did the same.

As she focused, she thought of nothing but Soval, letting his cries help her concentrate on him.

Then… as she reached out to him she felt a sharp jolt, like she'd received an electric shock. Her eyes flew open and they locked with Shran's.

"Did you feel that?"

"I did."

"He's stopped crying." They both looked at the baby and Soval looked around, looking confused. "Maybe it's working."

"Here's hoping." They both reached out and let Soval grip their fingers, closing their eyes as they focused on Soval again. T'Pol suddenly felt like someone was pressing against her mind. At first she tried to push it away, more out of instinct than any other reason, then she relaxed her defences and felt the presence within her mind. She sensed confusion, distress, pain, sadness but also openness and need.

In her mind she saw a small thread, aquamarine in colour. Tentatively she reached out and saw her own thread, green, slowly stretching out and then wrapping around the aquamarine thread. As well as seeing it, she could feel Soval's mind connecting to hers. Then she saw a blue thread, slowly wrapping around the other end of the aquamarine thread.

T'Pol ignored Shran's thread and focused on tightening her own. Soval's mind was eagerly latching onto hers, and she could feel contentment coming from her son. Soval's grip on her finger tightened and she heard him coo softly. Finally her thread stopped tightening its hold and seemed content with the strength of its grip. Soval's thread was also halting its actions. T'Pol allowed herself to enjoy the link she had just formed with her son.

Finally she pulled away and opened her eyes. Soval was cooing softly as he stared up at the ceiling. Shran's antennas were moving slowly, as if he was sleepy. His brown eyes were clouded as he opened them.

"Well that seemed to work." he said lightly, "Must be because he's half Vulcan. I'd never have expected that to work on a full Andorian child."

"I thought you said a bond would take weeks to form with him. I can sense him now."

"Yes… but I'm only basing it on what I know of the bond. In Andorians it's built by emotional attachment."

"In Vulcans such bonds exist."

"But apparently they can be manipulated easier." Shran muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. T'Pol narrowed her eyes at his tone but she said nothing. The Vulcan picked up her son and he smiled up at her. Shran stared at him, seemingly lost in thought. "Can I show you something?"

"Of course."

Shran got to his feet and held his hand out to her. T'Pol took it, surprised both by the fact that he was offering her his hand, which would mean they would be touching skin and the fact that she had accepted it. Her skin tingled slightly at his touch, but he let her go once she was on her feet.

Leading her into another room, Shran pointed to a painting resting on a stand. T'Pol's sensitive nose told her it had just been recently painted.

It took a lot of control for her mouth not to drop open as she stared at a magnificent painting. It was just as the other Shran had described it in his letters.

"Senkrad did it this morning, it's good, isn't it?"

"Yes. It is impressive."

"I saw this when we forged the bond with Soval."

"Oh?"

"I saw the branches of my tree entwining with his, surrounding them protectively."

"I saw something much simpler but no less pointed."

"We'll have to be careful." Shran sighed, folding his arms.

"In what way?"

"If we're not careful we'll end up bonding to each other, not just Soval. I'm sure neither of us really wants that." T'Pol noted the grudging tone in Shran's voice as he said this and then noted the fact that she herself felt an odd sadness about the thought.

"It would be best. It would no doubt make things extremely difficult between us."

"Yes… it would." Shran sighed tiredly, and rubbed his eyes. "Can you sense it?"

"The bond?"

"Yes."

"Slightly, but I had anticipated it to be stronger."

"I think we just set up the base line. We'll probably strengthen it by spending time with him from now on."

"Good."

Soval let out a little noise and his eyes fixed on Shran. T'Pol obliged in handing him over to his father who grinned at him and held him in his arms with delight.

"He's got a bright spark in his eyes. He'll be smart."

"Yes… I believe he will be."

"Strong grip too… maybe he'll be a sportsman."

"Or an engineer."

"Or a Guardsman." Shran curled one edge of his lip into his cheek, "Or I guess he could join the Vulcan military."

"Perhaps he might join Starfleet. Become the first Andorian/Vulcan child to enter the academy."

"First? You think there'll be more?" Shran gave her a look of disbelief.

"There's no reason to assume Andorians and Vulcans won't procreate. Granted it may be in the minority, but there's no reason, with the future seeming so hopeful that our two species won't have such relations."

"Something tells me if that happens, they'll all look to us as the original couple even though we are not one."

"It is trying that everyone assumes we are married because we have a child together."

"Well… my people don't exactly make a secret of how we mate or reproduce."

"So I've noticed." T'Pol twitched her eyebrow at Shran in what was almost a playful way and Shran smirked.

"Unlike you Vulcans. You're so tight-lipped about your mating practises some people think you're made of the sand of Vulcan and that you just appear fully grown from the desert after a storm."

"Who would suggest such a thing."

"My grandsire for one." chuckled Shran as he rocked Soval in his arms, trying to get the baby to fall asleep. "That's what he told me when I was a child. Then again he also told me that the Aenar were life sucking ice demons."

T'Pol immediately thought of the young Jhamel and found that idea extremely preposterous. Shran seemed to know what she was thinking as he said wryly,

"He hasn't met Jhamel."

"Have you remained in contact with her?"

"Jhamel?" Shran's cheeks flushed slightly, "Yes, she's been assigned by her people to talk with my government. The Aenar have decided that despite the differences between our people… there's no point in being left out of the interplanetary relations anymore. As far as their concerned, they might not help protected their homeworld but they deserve to be involved in what sorts of agreements we make about it." Shran scowled, clearly he did not share in that view. "Jhamel has been involved in the talks, I sometimes see her when I'm working with Soval and Gral." There was a look on his face that told T'Pol there was much more to what he was saying than just his words.

"I see. If you see her, will you send her my regards?"

"Sure. I'd say she'll be glad to hear it." Shran looked down at Soval and smiled in a fatherly way as he saw Soval had fallen asleep. "I think this little one should probably be put to bed for a nap."

"Agreed."

"Why don't you take him tonight? I had him last night. May as well be fair."

"Are you certain?"

"Yes." Shran didn't look certain, but he held Soval out to T'Pol. "I have to go sort some things out with Ambassador Soval and Gral anyway. You'd do better with the time."

"Thank you." T'Pol took Soval into her arms, "Will I see you tomorrow?"

"I'd like that…" Shran shifted on his feet and then he said, "If you like we could go to a restaurant. We should probably learn to get along, it's obvious that we're going to have to be able to be around each other. May as well try to make it as… pleasant as possible."

"I agree. That would be… pleasant."

"So… 1400 hours? Best time for a restaurant meal, they'll be serving the midday meal by then."

"That is acceptable… we shall met you here?"

"Nah, I'll meet you at the platform." Shran leaned forward and pressed his lips to Soval's brow, "I'll see you tomorrow son." Soval snuffled in his sleep and yawned, before settling again. "Here, it's getting cold these days, I'll give you a blanket for him. Don't want him getting sick from the cold."

"I'm sure he's as resistant as you."

"Well even so." Shran gave her a soft silk blanket, but he seemed pleased by what she'd said.

They bid each other goodbye and T'Pol brought Soval back to Enterprise. As she laid him in the crib, and covered him with the beautiful blanket, which was black with stars covering it, she couldn't help but feel a surge of warmth as she thought about Shran. The Andorian was a good man, and he wanted what was best for his child. T'Pol realised then that she'd become very fond of Shran, somehow. But how fond exactly, she couldn't determine. And that concerned her.

* * *

Hope you all enjoyed that, next chapter is party time!

Reviews are like chocolate, I can never get enough of them. lol

Night's Darkness


	12. Chapter 12

Ok a fun chapter this time. Hope everyone enjoys it and lets me know what they think.

Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 12**

Archer found himself feeling some trepidation about this night out. God only knows what Shran had planned for them. Archer had a million different scenarios running through his brain, from a gentleman's club with cigars and brandy to a strip club. Knowing Shran it could have easily been a combination of the two.

He pulled on casual clothes, jeans and jumper, with a coat and scarf for protection against the freezing cold. Once he was satisfied he went to meet up with Trip.

The engineer was in a sour mood and Archer didn't ask him about it. He knew Trip was uncomfortable about the amount of time T'Pol had been spending with Shran, and the fact that they were trying to raise a child together, even if they were adamant about not getting together. It put Trip on edge. The fact that T'Pol had spent a good portion of the day with Shran that day had not helped.

'_Maybe he'll be in a better mood if this party is the right sort.'_ Archer thought to himself.

Meeting up with Malcolm, Travis and Hoshi (for Shran had invited them to come along as well) they all took the transporter to Andoria.

"Oh it's beautiful." Hoshi gushed, as they looked around. Archer had to admit that Andoria, with a star filled night sky, its gas giant and many moons, and sparkling ice fields was quite possibly one of the most beautiful sights in the universe. "This is where I'd love to come for a romantic holiday."

"Wouldn't you rather somewhere hot?" Archer teased, leading them along,

"Well, a romantic holiday over Christmas then." Hoshi smiled.

They took the platform to the city and found the nightlife was as alive as the day life, except a lot of the outfits were distinctly more eye-catching. Andorians of many ages, from young to very old, were roaming about, chatting and laughing.

Standing by the railings of the path, looking over the crowd with disinterest, was Shran. He was dressed in an outfit very like the uniform of the Imperial Guard, (so every muscle was outlined in a way that made Archer feel rather jealous) but it was a different colour and made of the silk Andorians were so proud of, as opposed to the leather uniform.

"Evening Shran." Archer greeted shaking the Andorian's hand.

"Pink-skin. Ready to go?"

"As we'll ever be." Archer grinned. Shran smirked and then jerked his head to indicate they follow him. As they made their way through the city, going up and down various levels Archer's head began to spin and he knew he'd never be able to find his way out of the city on his own.

"Shran! Shran!" Telev hurried over to meet them. Archer's eyes slid over Telev and then he looked at Hoshi. The linguist's mouth was hanging open slightly as she stared at Telev.

Telev was dressed in vivid red shirt and black trousers, both of which were so tight they might as well have been a second skin. His hair was styled messy and his handsome face was alight with eagerness. No one could deny that Telev looked good. Shran grinned at him as he arrived.

"You're late." he accused, "You were supposed to meet us at the platform."

"I got held up by my sisters. You know what they're like. Criticise, criticise, criticise."

"I have a vague idea." Shran snorted.

"Where's Gral?"

"He's meeting us there."

"Gral's coming too?"

"Of course. It's not a party without him!" Telev laughed, throwing his arm around Shran's shoulders. "I cannot wait to get that pig singing!"

"Ah go easy on him Telev, I'll not have you killing the Tellerite ambassador because you want him to sing for you before you get too drunk to remember it."

"Oh you insult me! Are you suggesting I can't hold my alcohol."

"I'm not suggesting it. I'm stating it. You hold your alcohol like a child."

"I do not!"

"Do too! You'll be off your head well before we're finished."

"I will not!" Telev pouted at him, "I'll show you."

"Oh I'd love to see it." Shran smirked, "You won't last."

"Ugh! I'll show you!" Telev was all out sulking now, his lower lip sticking out slightly and his antennas drooping. Shran rolled his eyes with fondness and then shrugged him off.

"Come on. We'll never get there if we don't go now."

"Queue?"

"Exactly. Besides, Gral will get all moody if we're late."

The place Shran brought them to was a large, multi-storeyed building which vibrated with loud music. There were balconies, which were already full of people, spread out over the walls, Archer counted twenty or more. Some large women were outside, by the main door, dressed in tight uniforms.

'_Female Bouncers. Now that's something you don't see everyday.'_ Archer thought to himself. Standing beside them, staring rather hard, as if he was trying to see past the uniforms, was Gral. The Tellerite appeared to be drooling. If the women had noticed, they did not care.

"Gral!" Shran shouted over all the noise coming from the club. Gral turned around and he bared his teeth in a grin as they reached him.

"You're late!" he said.

"You're ugly. It balances out." Shran smirked as Telev laughed. Gral glared up at them, but the Andorians just smirked. "Come on! Lets go!" Shran grabbed Telev's arm, and Gral's shoulder and dragged them both with him into the club. Archer and his crew followed, feeling a little apprehensive.

* * *

"Ah love this place!" Trip roared, raising his drink in a toast. "This is the best place ever!"

"Absolutely!" cheered Malcolm before slamming down another shot of Andorian Ale. "'S the besssst placcce in th' 'hole un-iver-sssssssss."

"Agreed!" Archer clapped Shran on the shoulder, "Thanks for bringin' us here Shran. We owe you one!"

"Glad to hear it." Shran smirked. The Andorian was holding his drink a good deal better than any of his companions. Telev had downed thirty shots and disappeared a little while ago. Gral was currently trying to chat up one of the women who'd surrounded the group upon arrival. Shran knew them all.

Upon arrival, Shran had gotten sucked into the crowd and the humans had hurried to follow him. The massive throng caused them to loose the guardsman though, because he blended in with everyone else. It was only when they were shoved to the bar by a ripple through the crowd that they spotted him again.

The club was packed with Andorians, all letting their hair down and partying. Apparently when Andorians went out, wandering hands were commonplace. Archer had lost count of the times he'd felt someone's hands deliberately brushing over his legs, his backside, his torso or his arms. From the other's reactions they'd been having similar experiences, with varying degrees of comfort. Poor Malcolm had turned into a beetroot at the first touch. Hoshi had gone pink and giggly, once she'd had a few anyway. Trip and Travis had stupid grins of pride on their faces. Shran just smirked whenever a hand brushed over him, not at all surprised or put out by it. Apparently he was used to it. Even Gral had squealed more than once in surprise.

The bottom floor had a lower levelled dance floor, and small raised platforms were doted all around with enough room for two people to dance on, provided they pressed against each other. On the upper floors were tables and chairs for people to sit around.

Colours were flashing around, light reflecting off the silk and leather of the Andorians. Fog swirled around their legs, and the ceilings twinkled with flashing lights. Yet there was nothing tacky or over the top about the place. Whatever it was that made a place like this work, this place had. Archer could see a lot of human teenagers enjoying themselves here. Hell, he was in his forties and he was having a ball. Then again… he looked around and was surprised to see people who must have at least been in their seventies (although it was hard to tell since Andorians didn't seem to age like humans did) dancing around with people in their teens.

"What's the age limit around here?" he slurred in Shran's ear, having to get that close so the man could hear him over the music.

"What'd you mean?"

"How old do you have to be to get in?"

"Fifteen or over." Shran answered, shouting in his ear.

"That's pretty young."

"Not as far as we're concerned. I don't know how humans work things out but once you've passed into puberty you're allowed to drink, come to bars, mate, whatever you want."

Normally Archer might've raised some objections to that but his mind was getting very foggy, so all he said was "Cool!" before he dropped the subject.

"Too bad T'Pol ain't here!" shouted Trip, "It'd've been fun to see what she's like wasted. I bet she's a real good dancer." The engineer's eyes glazed over as he thought about it. Shran's eyes turned glassy too at the mention. Telev arriving back disturbed their thoughts.

Telev was very drunk now, his cheeks flushed, his skin shiny with sweat, and his eyes blazing with fire. As he tottered where he stood, his arms shot out and wrapped around Shran who laughed as he held him up.

"I told you so!"

"Shurup!" Telev grunted, resting his head on Shran's shoulder. Shran said something else, but Archer didn't catch it, being too busy with jumping in surprise as a rather bold pair of hands began to run over his back and bottom.

"You know… I wonder what that Vulcan of Shran's would look like in the outfit that woman's wearing." Gral slurred gesturing his clawed hand at a platform where a woman was dancing. Her long blond hair was flying, her hips rolling under the waistband of her skirt that rested very low down. Her top had a low cut neckline, and didn't quite cover her flat, blue stomach and the skirt brushed her knees. It was rather hard not to drool at her.

"She's not Shran's!" Trip snarled, but once his eyes fixed on the woman it was clear he was too lost in a fantasy of T'Pol replacing the woman to continue the point. The idea tantalised Archer's own mind, and he was too drunk to apply decorum and push it away. He didn't even notice that Shran didn't agree with Trip.

"The Vulcan'll haveta share!" growled Telev, gripping Shran to him. Shran rolled his eyes. "C'mon Shran! Let's dance."

"No thanks Telev. You know I don't like dancing like that." Shran managed to shrug him off. Telev pouted for a moment before he suddenly grabbed Hoshi by the waist and lifted her into his arms. Hoshi squeaked in surprise, then began to giggle as she gripped onto Telev, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Telev carried her away to the dance floor.

"Should we be worried?" Archer asked Shran, leaning over to him again,

"Nah, I'll get him away from her before things go too far." Shran assured him. Archer nodded, then jumped as more wandering hands began to move towards his backside. Shran gave him a smirk that told him to go with it. The Andorian currently had a woman snaking her arms around his neck and whispering in his ear… or whatever she was doing with her tongue. Shran's expression was one of amused disinterest. Archer found that strange considering the woman was gorgeous.

Archer's head began to swim a little (or a lot) and he was finding it very hard to focus. Travis, Trip, Malcolm, Shran, Gral and himself were soon toasting everything in the universe as they downed shot after shot. There were the hands again…

* * *

Archer didn't remember much of what happened towards the end of the night, or how he got to bed, but when he woke up, he had the mother, grandmother and daughter of all hangovers.

Groaning in agony he buried his face in the pillow. It took him a few minutes to realise that it was not his pillow he was hiding in. In fact he was fairly sure this wasn't his bed in any way, shape or form. The pillows were covered in fur or silk and there was no hum of warp engines around him. It was also much cooler here than in his own quarters.

"Oh, you're awake." purred a feminine voice "That's good. I hope you're ready for more of last night." A hand travelled over his bare chest in a suggestive manner and a bare thigh brushed against his hip.

Archer almost didn't look, he was that shocked and in dread. When he did look, he found himself staring into a pair of chocolate brown eyes that were laughing at him.

"You surprised me Captain." Lissiel purred again, "I didn't expect you to be so… insatiable or satisfying." As Archer stared at her the only thing he could think was,

'_Oh crap.'

* * *

_

He, he I hope you guys all enjoyed this. What do you think Archer's gonna do next? ominous music

Wait and see!

Night's Darkness


	13. Chapter 13

Hehe, I hope everyone enjoys Archer's handling of his current situation. And to **Glory1863** my simple answer is… not at the moment!

Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 13**

Lissiel Shran leant over Archer and nipped his lips rather hard, an alluring smile on her beautiful face. Archer's lips felt extremely tender, as if they'd been subjected to many bites. His whole body was aching now that he thought about it and glancing down at himself, he found a good deal of bruises and little scratches on his torso. Glancing at Lissiel, he saw similar bruises on her cerulean skin.

Archer couldn't deny that the woman was gorgeous, her long blond hair in waves around her shoulders, allowing her blue skin to peek through the white. Her face was flushed lightly and she smelled of something that made his primal side growl with eagerness. The dark brown eyes were twinkling like stars, and Archer had a sudden image in his head of melted chocolate trickling over blue flesh. He shook his head to banish the idea. Already he'd seen too much as one curve led to another…

'_Oh God!'_

Shran would probably kill him… or maybe he'd make fun of him. What about his senior staff? How bad would this look to them, their captain getting locked and having a one-night stand he couldn't even remember?

"Something wrong Archer?" Lissiel's long fingers were tracing over his skin, making goosebumps rise.

"This uh… well… it's just… this was a mistake." Archer had no idea what kind of reaction he was going to get, Lissiel might punch him or cry… he had no way of knowing.

"What was?"

"Last night?"

"You mean the sex?" Lissiel looked very confused.

"Um… yeah." Archer was crimson.

"Why was it a mistake? You're not married are you?"

"No."

"Not with someone?"

"No."

"Then what's the problem?"

"This shouldn't have happened." Archer tried to sit up but Lissiel, with one hand, pushed him back down onto his back. Her brow was drawn into a frown.

"And why shouldn't it have happened? What's wrong with me?"

"Nothing!"

'_Absolutely nothing!'_ His libido agreed whole-heartedly.

"Then why shouldn't it have happened? Is this some human thing where if you have sex with someone while you're drunk you spend the rest of the day trying to punish yourself and getting all embarrassed and feeling guilty for giving into your primal urges?"

"Um… look, Lissiel, it's just… you're Shran's sister."

"So?"

"Among humans, most men don't like the idea of their friends sleeping with their sister."

"Neither Thy'lek or I are human. He won't care. Granted he's going to make fun of you, but he won't really care."

"Ok, but still…" Archer was having a really hard time explaining why this was a mistake.

"You're not like the Vulcans and consider sex for fun disgraceful?"

"No. No we're not that bad."

"But you don't approve of sex."

"It's not that."

"Then what is it? We had a great roll over the ice fields, you surprised me by being so satisfying and you're calling this a mistake?" Lissiel's cheeks were colouring with anger, although that may have been because she didn't like being confused. On top of her head, her antennas were squirming furiously. Archer had a sinking feeling that if he didn't make sense of this fast he was going to end up with a broken jaw.

"Um…"

* * *

Trip groaned as he woke up, his head pounding like crazy. As he covered his eyes with his hand he heard a distinctly British moan. Although how a groan could sound British was beyond him.

"Bloody hell!" Malcolm cursed nursing his head. "That is the last time I go out to party with a load of Andorians."

"I think that's the last time I go out partying period." whimpered Hoshi. Trip still hadn't opened his eyes but, through the fog and the pain, he began to wonder where they were considering it was freezing and he was lying on a hard floor with a pillow and blanket and his friends were all nearby.

Slowly he opened his eyes and was both pleased and surprised that it was comfortably dark in the room they were in. Someone had been kind enough to darken it by closing curtains and dimming the lights so they could see, but not be blinded. Looking around as he sat up (with great caution) he saw Travis, Malcolm and Hoshi were all sprawled out on the floor with pillows and blankets. Captain Archer was nowhere to be seen. That concerned Trip, but, he reasoned, the captain was most likely awake and worshiping the porcelain god. It wouldn't be long before he was.

"Where are we?" asked Travis, sounding hoarse.

"Not sure… maybe Shran's house." It was the only place that made sense.

"Where's the captain?" Malcolm sounded both urgent and very hungover.

"No idea." Trip sighed as he got to his feet and he staggered to the door of the room. Very slowly, so as to avoid any sudden noise or pain, he opened the door. A little more light filtered in and Hoshi groaned. "Sorry." Trip continued to open the door at the ridiculous pace, until he was able to look into the next room and recognised Shran's living room.

In the kitchen, looking a hell of a lot better than Trip felt, was Shran, making up some food and drinks.

"Shran?" Trip called in a soft voice. Shran looked up and grinned at the appearance of the engineer.

"Morning Trip. Sleep well."

"I don't remember." Trip admitted. Staggering, Trip walked over to Shran and leaned heavily on the breakfast bar. Shran chuckled, amused by his behaviour. "What happened?"

"Well, it got to the stage that all of you were completely drunk, and so I rounded you all up and brought you back here. Gral's wife picked him up and pink-skin and Lissiel went into her room to finish what they started."

"Whaaaat?"

"What?" Shran looked confused, although he may have been pretending.

"Did you just say that your sister and the cap'n went into her room to…"

"Mate?"

Trip winced. "Yeah."

"Yes, I did. Why? Jealous of my sister?"

"Erm no…" Trip didn't know what to say, so he settled for changing the subject. "Where's Telev?"

"Snoring in my bed." Shran rolled his eyes, "When we got here he staggered into my room and fell asleep while I was getting you and your crewmates into the training room to sleep."

"Thanks for the pillow and blankets by the way."

"Well I figured you'd be very sore in the morning so I might as well try and do something to help. Here." Shran set a drink in front of him, "Drink that. It'll help with the hangover."

Trip's stomach churned as he regarded the drink. It was golden brown, a bit like tea, but Trip had learned over the years in space not to trust appearances when it came to alien food. Shran rolled his eyes, "Trip, if I wanted to kill you I would have cut your throat while you slept. Now drink the stuff."

Trip didn't feel any better about it but he did as he was told, drinking the brown stuff, which had an awful sour aftertaste. Still… even as he set the glass down his headache was beginning to fade a little.

"What is that stuff?"

"It's a drink made from a plant that we discovered a few years after we started exploring space. The plant's homeworld is now the place to go for clubs and parties because this stuff helps with any hangovers and it's everywhere."

"Don't let our teens find out or we'll never get them back." Trip joked. Shran chuckled.

By this point Malcolm, Travis and Hoshi were emerging and taking the drink Shran was offering without question, having heard Shran's explanation about it.

"Good morning everyone!" called Senkrad as he came wandering out of his room, dressed for the day in his climbing uniform.

"Morning Sen." Shran greeted, smiling at his brother, "Sleep well?"

"As well as can be expected when your night's sleep is interrupted by someone singing something that goes _'Puff the Magic Dragon, lived by the sea…'_."

Shran snorted and gave Malcolm a look. Malcolm groaned and buried his head in his arms. Trip burst out laughing, then winced as his head throbbed. Shran smirked,

"It may be good, but it isn't that good Trip."

Trip glared at him, then yawned.

"Who is Puff, and what's a dragon anyway?" asked Senkrad, his head cocked to the side.

"In truth? The song is about getting high… and a dragon is a giant flying lizard that doesn't actually exist."

"They're myths and alternate between being evil, with dark scales and good with bright colours like red and green on their scales. Some talk, some don't. Some have huge wings, some have tiny things that still manage to carry them around…"

"So… they're magical?" Senkrad grinned, "Interesting."

"Breakfast Senkrad?" Apparently Shran wasn't as interested.

"Please. I'm starving."

Shran gave his brother a plate of food and Senkrad sat down to eat it. "So I'm assuming Lissiel found you at the club?"

"Oh yes. She showed up just as this lot were getting rowdy and after about, oh, ten minutes, she had Archer all over her." Shran rolled his eyes. Senkrad chuckled,

"Yes, she did mention something about that before she left. Our sister certainly knows how to charm a person."

"Which is amazing considering she has no charming qualities whatsoever."

"Just because my qualities aren't charming to you, doesn't mean they aren't to others." Lissiel told him as she came out of her room, a silk robe draped over her. As she sat down by the breakfast bar she seemed to be sulking. Senkrad noticed.

"What's wrong Lis?"

"Archer's an idiot." Lissiel answered. "He's calling last night a mistake and won't explain why."

"A mistake?" Both Shran and his brother looked bewildered.

"He mentioned it being partially because I'm your sister Thy'lek."

"Why would I care?"

"That's what I told him."

"So what did you do?"

"I punched him." Lissiel smirked. Senkrad sighed and shook his head, while Shran seemed torn between amusement and exasperation.

"Are you trying to cause an interplanetary incident after all my hard work?"

"Not at all, but I don't take kindly to being referred to as a mistake."

"Look that's not what I meant!" Archer came out, clutching his head and dressed in last night's clothes that were very wrinkled. "I just meant-"

"You meant that you regretted sleeping with me."

"Well, not for the reason of not liking you." Archer's cheeks were colouring puce and he glanced at his crew, clearly wishing they weren't here. Shran's antennas were squirming in amusement. Senkrad was ignoring it all.

"Then what exactly is it?"

"For goodness sake will you all just stop it!" Telev came striding out of Shran's room, his shirt and boots missing. "Honestly, Lissiel, it's clearly a human thing, don't get upset about it and will someone give me that drink before my head explodes?"

Hoshi passed him the drink and while he was draining the glass, both she and Lissiel were unable to take their eyes off the firm, muscled chest before them. Senkrad meanwhile, was eyeing Telev's chest, then his lack of shoes and then turning to his brother. Shran sighed and raised his hands, palms out,

"Nothing happened. He was passed out by the time I got to the bed and he was so drunk I highly doubt he'd have been able-"

"I'll have you know I could be so drunk I'm more alcohol than Andorian and I'd still have no issue with-"

"T'Pol's probably wondering where we are." Trip interrupted before Telev could finish his sentence.

"Nah, I called her last night or whatever you'd call the time we got in and told her you'd be staying here because there was a blizzard going on above. Didn't want to risk you getting lost or something, even if I went with you." Shran said, "She did not sound impressed so… I wish you luck with that homecoming."

Archer grimaced. That was one discussion he did not look forward to.

"Captain- Jon? Would you like some ice for your jaw? You've got a lovely bruise." Senkrad held some out, smiling in a kind way. Archer wondered how there was any blood left in his body since it was all rushing to his face and accepted the ice with gratitude, pressing it to his throbbing jaw. Lissiel and Shran shared a smirk. "You should know better by now, Jon, to not offend a member of an allied species." There was laughter in Senkrad's voice. Shran snorted and Telev bit his lip to keep from laughing. Lissiel looked very pleased. Archer just groaned.

**Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.**

"Ah! Too loud!" Travis moaned, clutching his head. Apparently Shran's tea wasn't that much of a miracle worker on humans.

Senkrad heaved a sigh as he got to his feet and went to answer the consol. As soon as he did his face lit up like a child's. "Old Man!"

"Old Man?" Shran and Lissiel both bolted to Senkrad's side, shoving him along so they could all see the consol. "Old Man!" they both cried in delight. The consol was facing away from the others so they couldn't see the face of the person they were greeting with all the eagerness of five year olds.

"Hello you three." A gruff, cheerful voice said, "How are you?"

"Tired." Senkrad admitted,

"A bit hung over." shrugged Shran.

"Sated but annoyed." Lissiel drawled. The voice laughed.

"Sounds about right. Although I would have expected you to the tired one Thy'lek, given recent goings on."

Shran squirmed a little under what was apparently a very parental gaze. "Who told you? Sanakral or Sakrana?"

"Neither. It was Lealion. For once Sankral's wife was more of a blabbermouth than he is."

"Ah, I see." Shran shrugged, looking incredibly sheepish. "I was going to call you and our grandparents… I've just been trying to sort out my own head before I deal with the headache you lot will give me."

"You make it sound like we're meddlers."

"Old Man, that doesn't even begin to describe our grandmammas." said Lissiel, shaking her head.

"Hm, true enough."

"Hey Old Man! I would go over to see you but I'm currently too hung over to move!" Telev called, wincing at his own loudness. Shran rolled his eyes as if to say, _'I never said he was a bright one'_.

"Hello Telev." called the voice, it held a questioning in it and Shran groaned,

"Nothing. Happened!" he stated, emphasising both words. "Would you all stop assuming I can't keep my hands to myself with him? Just because Telev has no control around me, doesn't mean I'm the same."

"No it doesn't. But it is the case."

Shran groaned and threw his hands in the air in surrender. Senkrad grinned and then said, his smile fading slightly, "You're all coming over today aren't you? To see Soval?"

"We are."

"What?" Shran lost the humour in his eyes and he looked horrified. "All six of you?"

"That's right. We're coming to see the new arrival. Are people not allowed to see their own great-grandson anymore."

"That's not it, I just… it's really short notice Old Man."

"Well it's not like I'm the one who made the decision. Blame your grandsire."

"Like always." Shran grunted, looking distinctly flustered. "When will you be here?"

"Well… let's see, by your time it's what?"

"1423." Senkrad offered. Archer nearly fell off his chair in shock. How the hell could it be that late? "Almost midday."

"Right… well we'll be along for about… 2000. Is that enough time for you?"

"Ghee… no time in the world could prepare me enough for a dinner with our grandparents. You promise you and Lady will be there."

"I assure you we will."

"Good."

"You know you're the only ones who have a hope in hell at keeping them under control." added Senkrad, looking as relieved as Shran did. Lissiel folded her arms,

"I assume that you're expecting both Soval and… his mother to be here for the dinner."

"As much as it pains them they want to meet the mother of their great-grandson."

"All the more reason for you to be there. I can handle them if push comes to shove with their comments towards me but T'Pol's… she's never dealt with four old prejudice people who'll be out to make her squirm."

"And how are you any different?" Lissiel asked, putting on a mock thoughtful face, with a sweet smile.

"There's one of me and four of them." Shran gave her a very insincere smirk.

"Oh yes, I don't see much of a difference considering how much weight you've put on being confined to the ambassadorial chair for half a year." Lissiel poked Shran in the stomach. His rock hard abs were clearly visible for a moment. Shran rolled his eyes.

"Then you can't count!"

"Children!" called the voice, sounding highly amused. Both Shran and his sister looked chastened, but they shot each other a dark glare before returning to the screen. "Now I know this won't be easy, but best not to put it off. Your grandmamma is in a good mood today and you know how she is when it comes to Vulcans."

"Stubborn, racist, narrow-minded?" listed Shran lightly.

"Are you sure you're not describing yourself from a few years back?"

"If I'm describing anyone Lissiel, it's you as you currently are."

"I just bedded an alien, you can't call me racist."

Archer sank in his seat, wishing the ground would just swallow him up.

"You wanted a comparison." Senkrad pointed out, smiling, "You can want a comparison and still be racist. Look at Thy'lek. That's what he used to do."

"This is true."

"Hey! Racist against Vulcans, and Orions and any species connected to them. That's it. I was never racist against Betazeds or Caxtonians, was I?"

"Hm, you have a point there." Senkrad rubbed his chin, in a thoughtful way. "What about the Klingons?"

"Klingons are Klingons, what's your point?"

"You were making the argument that you only bedded aliens you weren't racist against but didn't you bed that Klingon female?"

"That was a totally different situation! For one thing we were both stuck on a planet where the temperatures reach over 50 and she must have been in heat or something because she wasted no time in jumping me. If I'd said no, I'd have either been killed, had certain valuables ripped off or forced to bed her anyway. I chose the lesser of the evils. Although I have to say thanks to the smell and weight of her there was very little difference." Shran grimaced.

Old Man, or whoever he was, burst out laughing. "I look forward to seeing you three again! I miss your arguments."

"Want to trade places Old Man?" Senkrad offered with a long-suffering tone.

"No, no. If I had to live with those two I'd lose my mind. I'll say this Senkrad, I'm amazed you haven't."

"He spends his days climbing dangerous ice cliffs, particularly during heat waves when the ice is melting, how sane can he be?" asked Shran, antennas poking forward. Senkrad smiled. "Anyway we'd better get started. I don't want to give any of them anything to criticise if I can avoid it. We'll see you soon Old Man."

"See you soon children."

Senkrad shut the consol off and said in a mild tone, "Only he can get away with calling us children."

"Have you noticed he only calls us children? He doesn't call Sanakral or Sakrana children."

"I think once you've had children, there's a rule that you can't be referred to as a child yourself." Shran mused.

"You being the obvious exception since your procuring of a child was through exceptional circumstances."

Shran rubbed a hand over his face and smoothed back his antennas, too preoccupied to answer Lissiel.

Telev leaned back on his elbows on the breakfast bar and said, "Do you want us all to go? Give you the space to clean the house."

"I think that's a good idea." Senkrad agreed, looking to Shran for orders. Shran drew in a deep breath and then nodded.

"I think that's best. I'll see you later Telev."

"Let me know if you need my help." Telev offered in a kind tone, walking into Shran's bedroom and returning with his shirt and boots. Not even bothering to put them on he left the house.

"You want us to go too?" Archer asked, secretly hoping the answer was yes. He really needed to find Phlox and get a pain reliever. His limbs were killing him now! What in the world had he and Lissiel gotten up to?

"Yes. Um… can you tell T'Pol to be here at about 1945? Better she be early than on time." Shran scratched the back of his head in thought. Senkrad shifted and then said,

"It might be a good idea, to take some of the pressure off you and T'Pol, if Captain Archer and Commander Tucker joined us. Our grandparents have no reason to hate you two. If anything they'll like you, you saved Thy'lek's life after the Kumari… well…"

"Was blown to bits?" asked Shran acidly, giving his brother an annoyed glare. Senkrad quailed under it, his antennas drooping. Shran softened, "Still… I suppose that's a good point. It might help keep them from picking on T'Pol."

"We'd be glad to help." Archer assured him, wincing as he looked at Lissiel, whose eyes flashed. "But we should go for now… work to be done."

"We'll see you later." Senkrad smiled, sending a wider one to Hoshi, who blushed.

"Wear something more formal." Lissiel advised. "Our grandparents are rather… fastidious and old fashioned."

"Thanks for the tip."

"See you pink-skin." Shran's goodbye was a rather distracted one, his mind probably already figuring out what needed to be done. Archer felt rather sorry for him. It sounded like he was in for a hell of an evening.

* * *

T'Pol would admit that the idea of meeting Shran's grandparents was rather daunting. Of course, she had expected it would be required of her to meet more of his family and perhaps at some point Shran would meet hers, but to have to face them in just a few short hours was so distracting, that she forgot to comment on the senior staff's conduct the night before and barely registered the scent of sex on Captain Archer.

"We've been invited along as well, to help you." Trip said, pointing to himself and the captain.

"I am grateful." she said, her brow creased just a little. "I believe I should meditate for a time, to compose myself for tonight."

"Of course, take all the time you need."

"Thank you." T'Pol turned and walked away, heading straight for her quarters. Soval cooed in the sling at her front.

As T'Pol closed her eyes, she tried to anticipate the kind of reaction she would receive from Shran's grandparents. Logically, they would probably be very much like Shran had been when they'd first met. Aggressive, mistrustful and, most likely, bitter.

It was fair to guess that Shran's grandparents would be about 150. The war between T'Pol's people and the Andorians had lasted about 200 years. That meant that Shran's grandparents had been born and spent their whole lives hating Vulcans. No doubt the idea that their own grandson was almost solely responsible for peace breaking out and establishing the basis for an alliance was hard for them to accept with joy. That same grandson suddenly having a half Vulcan child… suffices to say T'Pol felt a foreboding about the fast approaching encounter.

Her meditations were interrupted when she was requested to go to the Transporter Pad, as she had a guest.

Thoroughly unknowing as to whom it might be, she took Soval into her arms and carried him with her.

It was to great shock, which was very hard to mask that T'Pol arrived at the Transporter Pad to see Lissiel Shran waiting for her, with another Andorian woman beside her. In the strange woman's arms was a large silk bag, about body length and in her hand hung a box that rattled when she moved it.

"Lissiel?" she asked, trying to hide her confusion. Lissiel looked her up and down, as if she was second-guessing something and then said, her voice noticeably tight,

"You'll need help to impress my grandparents. As it may or may not have occurred to you, my grandparents are old, and have spent their whole lives being taught to hate Vulcans. As you can imagine, Thy'lek's… new association with your people is hard for them to accept. Now you'll have to be accepted as a member of the family if Soval is to be properly accepted. It's bad enough in their eyes that you two aren't marrying, there's no need for you to insult them by going down in something decidedly Vulcan. I assume the only formal clothes you have are Vulcan robes?"

"Yes." T'Pol wasn't sure where this was going. Lissiel motioned to the strange woman.

"This is my cousin Avena. She works for the Silk Guild. With her help we are going to fit you into an Andorian dress. If you wear it you'll be showing my grandparents that you are willing to embrace Andorian culture, which should help your standing in their eyes, even if it doesn't seem so."

"Thank you. I appreciate your concern." T'Pol meant it sincerely, but Lissiel's mouth tightened.

"I'm not doing it for you Vulcan. I'm doing it for Thy'lek because quite frankly, I don't think he can take much more and I am not about to have him break down from all the bad things that have happened to him, not if I can help it." There was a familiar fierceness in Lissiel's eyes, one T'Pol had seen many times in Shran's eyes.

"I understand." What else could she say?

Avena stepped forward. "Where are your quarters? This outfit is extremely complex and if I have to alter it to fit your skinny frame the sooner I know, the better."

"Of course, come, this way."

Avena was quick in telling T'Pol what to do as soon as she stepped into the Vulcan's quarters. T'Pol passed Soval to Lissiel who held him in her arms and smiled down at him, warmth in her eyes. Then T'Pol took the undergarments Avena was holding out and went into her bathroom to put them on.

The undergarments were made of extra thick silk, deep red in colour and when T'Pol put them on she had to appreciate the soft, smooth feel of the silk. They were a simple one piece that was similar to a human swimsuit and a pair of matching sleeves that were connected by a small strip of silk across her back. The sleeves were a little long for her and she assumed Avena would adjust them.

"Are you done Vulcan?" demanded Lissiel, "Come out already."

T'Pol had never been fitted before, so it had never occurred to her that she would be standing in her undergarments before the two women. Repressing the urge to be difficult and refuse, she exited the bathroom.

Neither Avena nor Lissiel made any snide comments; in fact they said nothing as Avena pulled out a long robe. The robe was a purple colour that complemented the red of the undergarments, with delicate black embroidery. The neckline was similar to T'Pol's own uniform, V-necked, although it was slightly deeper and didn't have a collar. Very long laces that looped and knotted in an elaborate way to keep the robe closed held the back of the robe together.

"Hold your arms out T'Pol." Avena said, holding the robe up. T'Pol complied and Avena slid the robe on her from the front. Then Avena went behind T'Pol and began to pull at the laces, making the bodice of the robe tighten around her. Only then did T'Pol notice the boning in the bodice.

"Is this necessary?" T'Pol gasped as Avena pulled again.

"Of course, these outfits have to be tight. Andorians have been wearing them for centuries."

"You mean both men and women on your planet wear such items?"

"Yes of course. On women it's to accentuate their curves and on men it's to show off their muscles and physical prowess, which they must prove if any woman is going to look at them."

"You know who always looks good in the male version?" Avena piped up as she pulled the laces again. "Thy'lek. He always looks good in his formal dress."

"Can he breath?" T'Pol asked pointedly as her stomach was compressed again.

"You'll get used to it. We all do." Lissiel was dismissive, "That should be enough Avena, now you can actually see her curves." Avena made a noise of agreement and stopped pulling, now just knotting the laces off. T'Pol had the barest of frowns on her face as she wriggled a little to get more comfortable.

Next Avena knelt down and turned up the hem of the robe, pinning it quickly. It was clear she was well taught and knew exactly what she was doing. The robes hem now just brushed T'Pol's bare feet. There was a slit along the left leg that went alarmingly high to T'Pol. Up to about halfway up her leg.

"Alright… next piece." Avena straightened up and retrieved a jacket, which she helped T'Pol shrug into. The jacket was silk, like the other items, and this was a more vivid red than the undergarments, which had been a darker colour. The jacket was simplistic, and had laces that wrapped around T'Pol's middle, just under the bust, tied off at the back. One of the last things Avena pulled out was a kind of cummerbund, which wrapped around T'Pol's middle, over the tied of the jacket, concealing them. The cummerbund was about the length of T'Pol's hand and elaborately decorated with Andorian symbols. This was black, with purple and red embroidery. Avena clipped it shut at the back, concealing the laces.

"Final things." Lissiel said with a heavy sigh, rocking Soval in her arms.

Avena produced a pair of thick but almost see through socks, which she helped T'Pol slip on. The socks were only covering her feet, they didn't go past her ankles. The reason why was given in the form of beautiful shoes that reminded T'Pol of ballet slippers because they too had wide laces, which Avena wrapped around T'Pol's calf and tied off.

"There we go. Done." Avena looked satisfied and she straightened up. "Take a look."

T'Pol turned to the mirror in her quarters and was surprised to find that the elaborate dress looked pleasing. The undergarments dark red worked well against her skin as they peeped out along the edge of the neckline, under the purple robe. The undergarment sleeves were the longest, with the robe and jacket sleeves receding slightly to continue the triple colour scheme. The jacket was just a little shorter than the robe, and while it accentuated her figure, it also didn't hide the beautiful robe, because it had a half circular edge that met in the middle and went out again so it was almost behind her by the time it reached her feet.

"I think this is the best colour scheme. Nice choice Lissiel." Avena complimented as she brushed and tugged at the outfit to ensure it fit perfectly. "How does it feel."

"It feels acceptable." In truth T'Pol was having a little difficulty breathing but other than that it fit remarkably well.

"Good. Now stand there while I sew this hem and then Lissiel and I can get out of here and back to where it's cool."

"I will have the dress cleaned before returning it." T'Pol promised as she watched Avena kneel down to start sewing.

"Keep it. I bought it for you. It's yours." said Lissiel, a hard look in her eyes.

"Are you certain?"

"If I wasn't I wouldn't have bothered now would I?"

"Thank you." T'Pol stared straight at Lissiel, determined not to rise to Lissiel's bait. The Vulcan knew when she was being tested.

"Forget it." Lissiel waved her hand in the air. "At least with the outfit we might actually get through this meal without one of them leaving the table in disgust."

"They won't leave until they've eaten. They all love Thy'lek's cooking." Avena chuckled,

"True enough." Lissiel agreed. Avena looked up and grinned at T'Pol for the first time,

"Don't be too surprised if the four of them are like that one over there. Lissiel is nothing if not incredible at holding a grudge and she got it from our grandparents."

"It's a valid one!" snarled Lissiel, glaring at her cousin.

"I know and I agree with you, but since I highly doubt the woman before us had anything to do with it and since she is now a technical member of the family would you stop acting like a nasty blizzard brat and play nice."

"I never play nice."

"That's for sure." Avena looked at T'Pol again, her eyes twinkling, "She never plays nice, not even with her younger brothers. I remember that she once tied them both up and stuck them under her bed, bound and gagged and left them there for a whole day. Poor Senkrad never got over it."

"Hey! They broke my Imperial Guardsman toy! They deserved it."

"You still stand by that excuse."

"I maintain it as the reasoning of a ten year old dealing with a five and four year old."

"If you say so." Avena grinned.

"I seem to recall that you helped me." Lissiel pointed out, smirking. Avena chuckled,

"True enough. I did. But only because Thy'lek pulled my nice hairstyle out."

"Humph!" Lissiel huffed, resettling Soval and stroking his downy cheek. Soval cooed and giggled, kicking his legs out and waving his hands in the air. His little tongue was poking between his lips and his large brown eyes were staring up at his aunt with fascination. Lissiel smiled at him. "He really does look like Thy'lek."

"Your brother says he resembles your late brother." T'Pol commented.

"Yes well… Thy'lek and Trenach did look very similar." Lissiel admitted, her antennas drooping a little in relaxation. "Thy'lek adored Trenach, worshiped the ground he walked on."

"I remember when he was three, and Trenach would go out with his friends, Thy'lek used to sit by the door and wait for him to come home." Avena smiled, moving around behind T'Pol to finish the job. Lissiel nodded,

"I would try to make him move and he never would. I even broke his favourite toy and he still didn't budge."

"Didn't he tell Trenach what you did once he came home and you got into serious trouble?"

"… yes."

Avena laughed, more at Lissiel's tone it seemed. "There we go. All done." She straightened up. "Satisfied Lis?"

"It'll do. At least it looks like she made an effort."

"I appreciate your help."

"Hm, well just don't make a mess of it tonight. Everything you say they'll try to twist against you, so be careful."

"I will do my best."

"Well we'd better go. You can dress Soval in this." Lissiel pointed to a smaller bag. "It's simple enough so you should be fine putting it on him."

"I'm sure I can manage." T'Pol ignored the patronising tone she used. Lissiel no longer fooled her with her snide, cold manner.

Avena and Lissiel showed themselves out and T'Pol, knelt down to meditate again. As she did the boning of the bodice dug into her torso and she was having difficulty breathing. Still, she couldn't ignore how much the dress looked appropriate.

Soval cooed on the bed, where he was lying on his stomach, where Lissiel had left him. T'Pol stood up and picked him up. Staring down at him she said,

"I believe this night will be far harder than I can anticipate."

* * *

If you want to meet the grandparents, then review! It spurs me on! Lol

Night's Darkness


	14. Chapter 14

Ok, this grandparents visit was supposed to be one chapter but it was way too long and it would have taken me even longer to update, so I'm posting the first half. Hope everyone likes the way I've portrayed the grandparents.

Thanks a million for all the brilliant reviews. I really appreciate them.

Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 14**

"I hate, hate, hate, hate, **_hate _**it when our grandparents come for a visit!" groused Shran as he checked on the dinner.

"Thy'lek? Do you hate it when our grandparents-"

"Finish that Senkrad and I swear I will not be held responsible for my actions." Shran pointed a wicked knife as he spoke. Senkrad snapped his mouth shut, smiling. "Are you finished cleaning up?"

"Just about."

"What have you got left?"

"The playroom."

"Well go do it."

"But I'm scared to go in there! I think Erib brought something with him last time he was here and left it in the playroom and it's hatched or spawned or something."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because there's a load of squeaking going on in there and a strange smell."

"Well take care of it. I haven't got time to worry about it."

"Stop worrying! It'll be fine."

"That's easy for you to say. You're not the one on trial here."

"You make it sound like they're soulless monsters."

"There are times when I'm not sure if there's a difference."

"Thy'lek!"

"What? You saw what they were like with Ducheddet and Lealion when they were going to bond with Sakrana and Sanakral."

"You're not going to bond with T'Pol though."

"Which will give them even more incentive to be cruel. It's not enough that she's a Vulcan but since I'm not bonding with her, you know they'll be even worse to her." Shran ran a hand through his hair, absent-mindedly noting that it was growing out. "Gah! I hate this! I hate the fact that our grandparents make me feel like I'm a child all over again! I've faced things that are worse than them and yet a dinner with them is enough to make me break out in a sweat."

"They're grandparents, they're meant to instil that feeling. If they didn't there wouldn't be any point in becoming grandparents." Senkrad grinned, his antennas squirming a little in amusement. Shran glared at him.

"Go sort out the playroom Sen."

"Aye sir!" Senkrad saluted him and then rushed away before Shran decided to go through with his earlier threat. As he did the front door opened and Lissiel entered. "Where've you been?"

"None of your business little one." said Lissiel smirking at him in that nonchalant way that her youngest brother had adopted for his own use.

"Thank you for joining us Lissiel." Shran sneered, "Had a nice time out?"

"Yes in fact I did." Lissiel's face was schooled, giving no indication of what she'd been up to.

"Well, while you were out having fun, Senkrad's been good enough to do the cleaning for both of you. So you can set the table."

"I hate setting the table!"

"Does it look like I care!?" Shran's face was angry, but his eyes told his siblings that he was very disappointed in his sister. In truth, Senkrad was too. Lissiel could be very cold and selfish when she wanted to be, but she would generally come through when her family needed it. To go out, to do her own thing when Shran was facing their version of an apocalypse, was incredible, even for her. Lissiel's mouth tightened.

"Fine. How many places."

Shran did a mental count and said, "Sixteen including Soval."

"Sixteen!" Both Lissiel and Senkrad's eyes were bugging out. "Who the hell did you invite as well?"

"Well, we've got the four grandparents, then Old Man and Lady, then T'Pol, Soval, Archer, Tucker, you two and me and then three surprise guests that I'm not telling you anything about!" Shran smirked at them and disappeared into the kitchen again.

Lissiel and Senkrad shared a concerned look. The look of rebellion in Shran's eyes made them slightly queasy. The last time Shran had gotten it, he'd joined the Imperial Guard and they'd lost him for five years.

Lissiel sighed to herself and disappeared into the dinning room to set the table while Senkrad went into the playroom to do battle with whatever infestation his nephew had left behind _this _time.

'_Someone needs to explain to that child that animals do not belong in the house!'

* * *

_

Shran heard his brother answer the door when someone knocked on it and he stiffened in anticipation of hearing his brother's over-cheerful warning of their grandparents arrival. Instead he heard the genuine cheerfulness of Senkrad greeting Archer, Tucker and T'Pol, presumably with Soval.

"I hope you're feeling better Jon, Trip. And T'Pol… you look amazing!"

His curiosity peaked, and his upbringing telling him to be polite, Shran came out of the kitchen to greet his guests and son. His mouth nearly fell open when he beheld a sight. T'Pol, looking beautiful in a formal Andorian dress, the colours of which, accentuated her dark skin, stood with Soval in her arms. Shran wasn't sure what was shocking him more; how beautiful the Vulcan woman looked or that she was wearing that dress.

"T'Pol… my brother is correct. You do indeed look amazing."

"Thank you. It was your sister who procured the dress for me, and she and your cousin assisted me in dressing in it."

Shran and Senkrad shared a look of shock and Shran felt a little guilty for berating his sister when she'd apparently been doing him a favour. Then again, he hadn't known, so he decided to let it go.

"Well she didn't tell me."

"For some reason that doesn't surprise me." T'Pol arched her eyebrow at Shran. If he hadn't known better he'd have sworn she'd made a joke. "Would you like to hold Soval?"

"Absolutely, give him here." Shran grinned from ear to ear as he took his son, looking very impressive in his own little silk outfit. Shran's grin managed to widen when he recognised it. "Wasn't this yours Senkrad?"

"Hm? Oh! You're right; it was my ceremonial outfit when I was a baby. I didn't know we still had it."

"Lissiel must have dug it up somewhere." Shran admired his son who cooed and smiled up at him. "Fits him well."

"It does indeed."

"Is… is Lissiel here?" asked Archer, looking nervous. Shran looked him over and smirked. Archer had the look of a man who couldn't get a woman out of his mind. Well, if he was that interested he'd have to work for it. Lissiel was still steaming about Archer's rejection.

"She's setting the table."

"Are we the first to arrive?" T'Pol looked around the room. Shran guessed she was as nervous as him, in a Vulcan way.

"Yes. I'm not expecting anyone else for a few minutes." If he was really lucky, his guests would arrive in order of their invitation. He wanted his grandparents here before his surprise guests. The reaction would be much better. Shran didn't notice the nervous look Senkrad got at the mention of the guests. If he had he might have wondered if his idea was a good one or not. Since he didn't, he was firm in his conviction that it was a great idea.

"What are your grandparents' names?" asked T'Pol, standing close to him. Shran ticked the names off his fingers as he spoke,

"Our grandsire is called Narion. Our grandmother is called Aresa. Our grandpapa is called Th'nack and our grandmamma is called Tenal."

"Don't assume that because our grandmamma has the less formal title that she's any nicer. It's just tradition to call your mother's parents by more formal titles."

"We'll do our best." said Archer, looking like he found the whole situation bizarre.

"There's also Old Man and Lady. They're best friends with our grandparents, like a third grandparent each to us."

"I assume they have names besides Old Man and Old Lady."

"Not Old Lady. Just Lady. And they do. Old Man is called Ghee and Lady is called Melani."

"We'll be relying on them to help control our grandparents who are rather… biting when they want to be."

"And with Thy'lek being the youngest of our generation in the family, they're extra protective." Senkrad grinned. Shran groaned,

"Shut up Sen!"

"But it's funny. The Great Commander Shran is still coddled by his grandparents."

Archer and Trip snorted and sniggered. T'Pol raised an eyebrow at them and they tried to control themselves. Shran narrowed his eyes, and passed Soval to T'Pol.

"I'm not great anything." he said, biting back anger. Senkrad's smile fell. Shran went back into the kitchen. Senkrad followed him.

"I didn't mean it like that little brother."

Shran sighed and wiped his hands on a towel. "I know big brother, but just… don't tease me tonight. I'll barely be able for everything else, without you teasing me."

"You're right. I'm sorry."

"Forget it. Just do me a favour and make sure Lissiel stays nice."

"Will do. Are you going to let me know who the other guests are?"

"You'll find out when they arrive."

"I worry."

"Don't. I'm just doing something to… spread the baggage around so it's easier to carry."

"You've lost me."

"Just go and talk with pink-skin and T'Pol and Trip while I finish this up. Once I'm done here I can leave it and join you all properly."

Senkrad nodded, and then he wrapped his arms around Shran's shoulder, hugging his younger brother. Shran gripped his brother tight for a moment before pulling away and resuming his work. Senkrad clapped him on the shoulder and then walked away.

Shran finished making the meal and left it to set or heat or whatever each part was supposed to do, rejoining the group. Just as someone else knocked on the door. It was a sharp knock, one that made the three siblings cringe. T'Pol tensed. Senkrad looked around and then went and got the door.

* * *

T'Pol had tried to picture Shran's grandparents, but none of the images she'd envisioned fitted the people that entered the house. 

First came a woman with formidable eyes. She was tall, curvaceous, with long white hair, streaked with cerulean, done in an elegant knot at the base of her neck. Her face was all sharp angels, her jaw set in a grim look. Despite her age, she had only a few deep lines on her face. She was dressed in a formal black dress that was elegant and elaborate. T'Pol knew that this was Aresa, Shran's grandmother.

Aresa's husband, Narion, was shorter than her by about an inch and a half, and his face wasn't as sharp, but he had high cheekbones, with many small lines around his eyes. Like his wife, his eyes were hard, judgmental. They were dark blue, but their shape was unmistakeable as Shran's. Aresa's eyes were brown, which told T'Pol where Shran and his siblings had gotten their eyes. Narion's hair was shot through with cerulean and he was dressed in the formal uniform of the Imperial Guard.

Shran's grandpapa, Th'nack, was stocky, and well built, and because of that he resembled Shran and Senkrad the most. His face was softer, with deeper lines around his mouth, and he had Shran's, and consequently, Soval's nose. His eyes were not very kind, and his brow was knotted in a scowl. His dress was slightly more elaborate than Narion's, which, despite being formal, was still relatively simple. His hair was longer than any of the other men's, and was actually a bit like Trip's in style, falling into his eyes.

Th'nack's wife, Tenal, was slimmer and less curvy than either Aresa or her granddaughter, but she was clearly well built and strong, which is how T'Pol imagined Shran's mother must have been. She was dressed in clothes that matched her husbands, in vivid violet, which gave her a rich appearance. Her hair was left lose and wasn't past her shoulders.

All four Andorians gave off an impression of hardened lives, of strength and fire. They also couldn't have given T'Pol colder looks if they'd tried. T'Pol felt some of her confidence wane under their penetrating glares. Senkrad was kind enough to distract them.

"Grandmamma! Grandpapa! Grandsire! Grandmother! It's so good to see you all again." And he bowed his head to them.

"Yes it is so wonderful to see you." said Lissiel, brushing past Archer to bow her head to her grandparents. Shran swallowed and said,

"It is good to see you." and he bowed his head to them, before giving his grandsire the Imperial Salute.

"Children." drawled Aresa, looking each of them over in turn. All three siblings winced at the term. "It is pleasing to see you all so healthy and happy." For a fraction of a second, all four elders looked at Shran who dropped his gaze to the ground. T'Pol's eyebrow twitched. _'Odd.' _

"Yes, we are glad to see all is well." agreed Tenal.

"Oh for goodness sake!" snapped an impatient voice outside the door that the other four were blocking. "Would you four drop the formalities? They're your grandchildren, not your allies that you can't stand. Now move along and let us in so they'll get some warmth today."

Tenal was pushed out of the way by a giant of a man that made even Archer look small in comparison. Broad, tall as a Klingon, with bulging muscles, this man had kind eyes and a cheerful grin. His hair was askew, giving him a slight crazy appearance, but T'Pol found it made him appear more charming.

Behind this man was a woman who wore a large smile and was as curvaceous as she was beautiful. Her lines made her refined, her long body made her graceful and her eyes made her warm.

This had to be Old Man Ghee and Lady Melani.

Ghee strode up to Shran and crushed the younger, smaller man in a hug that lifted him right off his feet. Shran didn't seem to mind though, because when he was released, he was smiling. Senkrad and Lissiel received similar treatment. As Lissiel was being set on her feet Shran took Soval from T'Pol's arms. Just in time too because Ghee threw his arms around the Vulcan and crushed her to him. T'Pol couldn't even think she was so shocked.

"So this is the mother of a new member of the Shran family. I simply must say you are much easier on the eyes than I'd have expected." Ghee laughed and slapped Shran on the shoulders. "So the child is lucky on both sides. He'll be a looker when he's older."

"He's a looker now." smiled Shran, holding Soval up to show him to Ghee and Melani and his grandparents. Ghee scooped him up and held him up.

"You're not wrong Thy'lek. What a beautiful child." Ghee turned around and held Soval out to the others, showing him off. The grandparents looked him over and seemed to relax a little.

"He looks very like you Thy'lek." said Narion, his eyes fixed on Soval, taking him in. T'Pol noticed their eyes paused on Soval's ears and eyes, then moved to hers. She stared stoically back. When they were finished admiring Soval Ghee returned him to his father. Soval cooed and giggled, his antennas wandering over Shran's shoulder and his feet pushing against Shran's arm. Shran settled him before saying,

"This is Soval's mother, T'Pol." and he gestured to T'Pol who inclined her head to them.

"It is an honour to meet you." and since she didn't know what else to say that could appease them, she added, "Your grandson is a remarkable man."

Shran's cheeks coloured a little. Trip scowled.

"We know he is." said Aresa, narrowing her eyes at T'Pol spitefully. "Are you trying to insinuate we are not proud of our grandson?"

"Oh Aresa, she was giving a compliment! Let the woman alone." scolded Melani. "Ignore these four T'Pol. They're stubborn and thick headed when it comes to Vulcans."

"It is understandable. Our people were at war for so long."

"You mean you were threatening invasion for so long and we had to lose people to defend ourselves!" snarled Narion. Shran's antennas drooped and he looked like he dearly wanted to speak up, but Narion shot him such a severe look he said nothing.

"While I will admit my people made mistakes, your people were not innocent victims." said T'Pol. She was perfectly willing to be polite and diplomatic, but she would not say that the war was her peoples' fault alone.

"We didn't start the war with you! You started it by looking down on us! You tried to force your ways upon us."

"We did no such thing. We accept that each species is unique."

"That's a load of-"

"ENOUGH!" Shran was quivering and he was glaring at his grandparents with such fury that even Lissiel looked alarmed. "This isn't a meeting to fight over who threw the first punch or who did what to who. I, quite frankly, don't care! War is war and it's over with! Now if you cannot maintain some politeness and decorum in our house then you can leave!"

Senkrad's mouth was hanging open. Lissiel looked amazed. Ghee was grinning and Melani was biting her lip to keep quiet. The grandparents looked stunned, staring at Shran as if they didn't recognise him. T'Pol was as surprised as they were. Granted, she hadn't expected Shran to stay quiet, but she hadn't expected such a disrespectful tone.

There was a knock at the door. Everyone jumped and Soval began to cry. Senkrad hurried to answer the door, while T'Pol and Shran tried to soothe the boy. Ghee looked around and spotted Archer and Trip, who were trying to stay out of the way for the moment.

"Now it doesn't take a scientist to figure out that you're Captain Archer." Ghee grinned at Archer, looking him over with approval.

"That's me." said Archer, relaxing at Ghee's smile. Archer held out his hand and Ghee gripped it. Archer's smile became a little fixed and his eyes bugged out a tad. "Nice to meet you." he squeaked. T'Pol heard Shran snigger near her ear as they watched Ghee release Archer's hand, which was white and grip Trip's hand as the engineer introduced himself. Archer shook his hand out with a wince.

"I could have told him that would happen. Ghee's got a grip like a Klingon." Shran muttered as he jiggled Soval in his arms, having managed to get the child to stop crying.

"Um, Thy'lek?"

Shran and T'Pol looked around to find Senkrad frowning in confusion at his brother, while a smirking Telev stood behind him. Shran grinned.

"Glad you could make it Telev."

"Thanks for the invitation Shran."

"Telev!" cried Melani, clapping her hands in delight. She rushed over and hugged Telev like a mother would a son. T'Pol's eyebrows rose. Senkrad threw Shran a very strange look, as if he was contemplating hitting him.

"Hello Lady. You look beautiful." Telev smiled a very charming smile, which he turned to Aresa, "Aresa, it's wonderful to see you and Narion again. It's been far too long." And he bowed to them. "Tenal, Th'nack, I'm so glad to see you in such good health." Telev bowed again. "Age hasn't touched any of you since I last saw you."

"Telev!" boomed Ghee, who'd stopped grilling Trip and Archer about themselves and grabbed the slim Andorian and crushed him in a hug. Telev winced a little and shot Shran a look over Ghee's shoulder. If T'Pol was interpreting it right, he was saying _'You owe me for this.' _Shran smirked and nodded his head. "So, are you the reason Thy'lek here has been able to resist the fine beauty that is T'Pol?"

"Oh great." grunted Shran under his breath. T'Pol noticed his cheeks were flushing a little again.

"I would love to think so Old Man." smiled Telev, his smile turning cheeky.

"Let's go and sit, we've only two more guests to await and at the moment they won't be able to get past the door, not with everyone blocking it." said Lissiel, pointing to the dinning room.

"Good idea." said Narion. The guests all filed after Lissiel. Only Shran, Telev and T'Pol hung back. Soval drooled down his chin as he sucked on his fist. Once Trip had vanished into the room, Telev said,

"So, what's my job specifically tonight?"

"Just help me keep them from attacking T'Pol too much. And try and keep the subject of… well things you know I really don't want to discuss." said Shran.

"Easy. Your grandparents adore me. I'll have no trouble with this." Telev smirked with great confidence. "You do realise that my presence here is making them think that you and I are…"

"I know! I know!" Shran pinched the bridge of his nose. "And that's a topic-"

"You want to stay off. Got it." Telev grinned and bumped Shran's hip with his own before he disappeared into the dinning room. T'Pol stared at Shran and was intrigued to notice how his cheeks darkened a little.

"What?" Shran grunted, glaring at her in irritation.

"Are you and Telev involved?"

"No… not at the moment." T'Pol's eyebrow twitched. "We've… got a complicated friendship/something else. And… and it's really none of your business." Shran made an irritable gesture to the dinning room door. "Are we going to get this over with or not?"

"Of course." T'Pol swept past Shran and entered the room.

* * *

Archer wasn't sure where he ought to sit. Clearly, unlike the last time he'd eaten here, there was a seating order. There were two seats at the circular table that were clearly for 'higher ranking' members of the family, set side by side. Aresa and Tenal sat in these seats, as the matriarchs of the family Archer realised. Their husbands sat on their free sides. Ghee sat beside Narion and Melani sat beside Th'nack. Senkrad took the seat by Ghee and Lissiel sat beside Melani. Telev took the seat beside Lissiel without hesitation, while Archer and Trip dithered by the table. Senkrad coughed a little and pointed to the two chairs beside Telev. Archer sat beside the Andorian captain with Trip on his other side. When Shran and T'Pol entered Shran sat beside his brother and set Soval in the high chair. T'Pol sat on the other side of the high chair. That left two unoccupied seats between T'Pol and Trip. 

"So whom else will be joining us for this _family_ gathering." Tenal's voice was frosty and she glanced at Trip and Archer with some suspicion. Shran smiled in a mocking way.

"Just two surprise guests. I'm sure you'll love them grandmamma."

"Hmm."

Archer noticed that Ghee's eyes were twinkling with mirth.

"So Captain, is it true you're the most trouble attracting people in this sector of the galaxy?"

"It certainly sometimes feels that way. If it's not fighting Klingons and trying to stop interplanetary wars it's being sucked into alternate realities and returning with a baby." Archer smiled, nodding to Soval who was sucking on his fingers.

"Well in that last case let's be grateful. He's an adorable child." smiled Melani. Soval smiled while he sucked on his thumb. Shran and T'Pol both looked at their son with an expression of fierce pride, although only those who knew T'Pol well would be able to see it.

"So… T'Pol. You're a scientist?" asked Ghee, smiling.

"That is correct."

"What area specifically?"

"I do not limit myself to one aspect of science, as it is all intertwined."

"True, but you must have a preferred area. Physics for example."

"I suppose that would be the area I work in the most."

"Yes, because of all the calculations you must have to do in your line of work."

"My daughter was a scientist." said Aresa, "It only seemed to pass on to one of her children though."

"Lissiel's job requires a great deal of science. Biology and the like." said Senkrad. Lissiel tilted her head to the side. "Although Sakrana's job is the only one that carries the title of scientist. Trip works in the same area as her."

"Trip?"

"Me ma'am." Trip gave his most charming smile. "I'm Enterprise's Chief Engineer."

"Is your name really Trip?"

"No ma'am. My name is Charles Tucker III."

"Are you called Trip because you are accident prone?" there was a touch of mocking in Tenal's voice. Shran rolled his eyes.

"No ma'am. It's short for Triple. As I'm the third Charles Tucker."

"I see."

A tense silence fell over the table that was shattered by a loud knocking on the door. Shran jumped to his feet so abruptly T'Pol, Soval and Senkrad all jumped.

"I'll get it!" and he strode out of the room as fast as he could without running. Archer felt rather sorry for the Andorian. It was clear that all three siblings had a hard time standing up to their grandparents… or maybe they were all just struggling to relax because of present company. Archer hoped Shran's final two guests would help the situation. In the silence around the table they heard Shran opening the door and say in a gruff tone, "You're late!"

"You're lucky I bothered to come. There'd better be some decent food here."

"You'll eat what you're given."

"Hmm. This is my wife."

"She's uglier than you."

Shran's grandparents looked stunned. His siblings were paling. Telev looked amused. Ghee and Melani were shaking with laughter. T'Pol's mouth was slightly open in shock. Archer and Trip shared a look of incredulous. On most of their minds was the one single thought.

'_He invited Gral!!!'

* * *

_

Would anyone like to see anything from the grandparents or character interactions? Also, I have a bit of a dilemma going on. I cannot make my mind up over who to put Shran with. Any thoughts on the following pairings would be a great help. Shran/T'Pol, Shran/Telev or Shran/Jhamel (this pairing is on the table but doesn't interest me as much in this specific fic, although I do like Jhamel). Alternatively, do you think I shouldn't pair Shran with anyone?

Let me know!

Night's Darkness


	15. Chapter 15

Hi guys! Sorry I haven't posted for ages but stress over school blocked all writing ability. And this isn't an exam year!

Anyway, I wanted to make sure this chapter worked out because I've been planning it since the beginning. Hopefully you'll all enjoy it.

As for pairings, I have made my choices and they will be revealed **_next _**chapter. So don't take the apparent pairings in this chapter too seriously as they may not be my choices. Then again… they might be. evil laugh

Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 15**

Shran was grinning like a cat that caught the mouse as he showed Gral into the dinning room.

"What is the meaning of this!" demanded Narion, jumping to his feet. Aresa copied her husband, her eyes narrowed in fury.

"What are you talking about grandsire?" Shran had a sickly sweet smile on his face and his voice dripped with sugary venom.

"What are these things doing in this house."

Gral bristled, and his wife grunted.

"They are joining us for dinner. They're my guests and friends. And it is my siblings' and mine house, not yours and so you have no say over who comes and goes in it." Shran's voice was like ice, smiles gone. Archer shifted in nervousness, not sure if a fight was about to break out. Narion glared at his grandson who didn't flinch, then sat down, very slowly. Aresa did the same, although she seemed even more reluctant than her husband. "Gral, Hega, please make yourselves comfortable."

"In this dump? Not possible." grunted Gral. Archer stood up to greet the ambassador.

"Gral, you're looking more foul than the last time we met."

"Hmph! You look like a scrawny nothing of a man as usual. How Shran didn't managed to kill you is beyond me."

Shran gave the tiniest of flinches, but Archer didn't miss it. It was clear that was still a sore spot for the Andorian.

"Maybe he was still recovering from having to look at your ugly face."

Gral snorted, but Archer had a feeling that the Tellerite knew he'd overstepped his bounds. The two Tellerites sat down, Gral beside Trip with T'Pol on Hega's other side. Archer had to admit it was a little hard to tell the difference between male and female with the Tellerites. The only indication that the one beside Gral was female was the fact that she was wearing a dress that was similar to T'Pol's, but did nothing to hide how fat she was. Hega also had silver and white-blonde highlights in her hair that were clearly not natural. Shran made a gesture to Senkrad who jumped to his feet and the two brothers left, no doubt to get the first course. Archer wondered if he should have fasted for the day.

Looking up Archer met Lissiel's eyes and he tried to smile at her, but Lissiel stared back with a stony expression. Archer's smile fell.

It was rare for Archer to find himself so flummoxed by a woman, Orion pheromones non-withstanding, but Lissiel had been on his mind all day. Archer knew the woman was gorgeous, and judging by the way Gral was shooting glances at her, the Tellerite agreed. She was also intelligent; she'd have to be to be a doctor. And she was fiery, very much so if she enjoyed taking on Shran, with whom Archer often ended up in fights with. The fact that she'd shown up to help T'Pol into her dress told Archer that she was also kind, but didn't like to show it. In summation, she was the perfect woman to Archer. So why the hell had he been so stupid this morning, telling her it was a mistake.

Lissiel stared at him with all the warmth of a blizzard and then turned to Telev.

"Telev, how long are you planet-side?"

"My ship's getting a complete overhaul. New systems, upgrades, the works. So about two or three months. Well… two months now. I've been planet side for a month now."

"And are you as antsy as Thy'lek?"

"Well, I am but I enjoy the break."

"Break from what? There's barely anything to do for us Guardsmen." grunted Narion, twirling one of his metal sticks between his fingers. "Not since peace broke out between us and the Tellerites and Vulcans. We're all just sitting on our antennas."

"There's still the Klingons and the Orions." Melani pointed out.

"Hm, well the Orions are a definite threat, but the Klingons? Everyone knows our relationship with them is one of sibling affection and rivalry." Telev shrugged.

"There's too much peace if you ask me." Narion was scowling.

"How could there be too much peace?" asked T'Pol. She sounded a little breathless, but that may have been the dress.

"When you have a huge army full of strong, determined warriors like the Imperial Guard does, ones who have been raised to fight and kill and hate aliens, peace with said aliens makes them jumpy. Jumpy soldiers are dangerous soldiers."

"Oh come Narion, you're exaggerating." said Ghee, trying to laugh the comment off. Narion's frown deepened.

"No I'm not! Mark my words, if there isn't a reason to fight for those soldiers, they'll go looking for reasons."

"So what do you suggest we do grandsire?" Shran's voice was sharp as he came back, tray in hand. "Go and start a war with another species?"

"Not at all. But we can't just leave them to their own devices. You're proof of that Thy'lek."

There was silence. Shran stared at his grandsire, his brown eyes darkening until they almost looked black. Telev's eyes were wide and Senkrad looked very worried.

Soval slapped the tray of his highchair, the sound making them all jump. Soval giggled and cooed, looking around with a large smile, proud at the sound he'd made and that he'd managed to get all their attention. Shran relaxed and smiled at his son. The tension was gone and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Shran and Senkrad handed out the deep bowls of soup, making two trips to get them all out and then they sat down. Gral and Hega reached for theirs but Lissiel coughed and shook her head at them, shooting her grandmothers a look. Both Tellerites got the message. The matriarchs of the family had to start the meal off.

Aresa and Tenal picked up their bowls and, with all the air of Japanese royalty, they sipped from their soup. After a beat they nodded, deeming the food acceptable and the other Andorians dug in. The guests followed, feeling uncomfortable with all the formality.

"So, Gral, how's that litter of yours?"

"They're well. Our youngest is almost due to deliver her first litter of her own. We were hoping this negotiating would be over with in time for us to return home for the birth. After all, it's my duty to perform the 'Plargna Telic' ritual on them."

"What's that ambassador?"

"It's where we dip them in the sacred mud from the Telic volcano, to ensure that they will be protected from demons that will render them useless arguers. It would be a tragedy if that were to occur."

"Especially considering your line of work." smirked Shran.

"Exactly."

"You submerge newborns in mud? Head to toe?" asked Th'nack, his eyes rather wide.

"Of course. Only for a few moments of course. The head is especially important to protect."

"The child could suffocate."

"That's as common as a Tellerite being bald."

"In other words it never happens." chuckled Archer.

"That's barbaric!" exclaimed Th'nack, sounding genuinely distress for the child's well being. Archer felt a little better about him.

"So is your tradition of cutting a newborn across the cheek before putting them to their mother's breast." said Gral without flinching. T'Pol's eyes widened and she looked at Shran who shrugged, as if saying _'What? It's tradition.' _

"That is to prepare them for a hard life ahead of them. We Andorians are a hard people, our world is beautiful and should be loved, but it is not kind to those who are not raised to be strong in it."

"And I suppose the celebration of birth each year is for the same reasons?"

"That is to symbolise the fight against time. We bear the scars to show we will never give in to time."

"I'm sure a one year old will understand that while you slash it across the back."

"It's a flesh wound, and afterwards the child is attended to. And when they are older they have a celebration."

"Well, I say good luck to Vulcan here when her brat's birthday comes along. Shran'll be pushing for the child to be marked."

"Of course I would, but you're twisting it Gral! You make it sound like an attack, an attempt to hurt the child. But it's a tradition, just as you stick your newborns in the mud, or humans circumcise their offspring."

"Circum-what?"

"I refuse to say now as I think every male here would loose their appetite. Point being that most species have some kind of traditions that other species won't agree with."

"Like suppress their emotions." sneered Narion. T'Pol looked up. Trip's shoulders tensed. "I think most of us here can agree that that tradition is the most… unconceivable of all."

"Vulcans suppress emotions because we believe that the embracing of logic is the most moral way to live for our people."

"Humph! You were so self assured that you tried to force your ways onto us."

"We did no such thing."

"The Vulcans embrace cultural diversity. They have a saying, 'Infinite diversity in Infinite Combinations'." Archer added, not noticing the way Shran and T'Pol shared a look and then both looked at Soval. Trip did and his eyes narrowed. "They would not want to take away from any culture."

"They would rather enslave them and eradicate them."

"We would wish no such thing."

"I suppose then it was for a benevolent reason that you had that monastery spying on us! And what reason was behind Weytahn? Or that recent attempt of an invasion. If it weren't for my grandson I don't even want to think of what might have happened."

Shran's eyes widened a little when he was pulled into the conversation. Taking a gulp of his soup, he set his empty bowl on the table, and said in a calm voice,

"Without T'Pol and pink-skin I wouldn't have succeeded in any of those missions."

Narion narrowed his eyes at Shran who didn't look away. "You dealt with Tarah without them. Although why you wouldn't allow the Guard to execute her I'll never know."

Shran sighed, "It's complicated grandsire. I told you I have my reasons."

"I think you fell in love with Tarah and let your feelings influence you."

Telev's antennas were poking forward with great interest. Shran's cheeks coloured. His voice stayed quiet, and this made Archer nervous.

"I wasn't in love with Tarah. But I did love her. There's a difference. I loved her like I loved all of my crew on Kumari and if you don't understand that grandsire then I might just have figured out why you never got a second command after your first was decommissioned." Narion looked like he'd been hit in the face.

"You dare talk to your grandsire like that!" demanded Aresa.

"Yes." Shran stood up. "Everyone done?"

Wordlessly they held their bowls out and Shran and Senkrad took them away. When they left Ghee elbowed Narion hard.

"Why'd you have to bring Tarah up? You know as well as I do that he feels guilty for what she did."

"He didn't order her to disobey orders."

"But he was the one she was always trying to please. You know as well as I do what happens in situations like that. Tarah's mind got warped until she was obsessed with killing Vulcans, just like Thy'lek once was when he was young." All four grandparents, Telev and Lissiel all winced at this mention. Archer's eyebrows were climbing up his brow to meet his hairline. He met T'Pol's eyes and it was clear she was as confused and concerned as he was. Trip was frowning. Gral and Hega shared a look and said nothing.

Shran and Senkrad returned with plates and set them down. Once again Aresa and Tenal tried it first before everyone else could eat. There was a very uncomfortable silence that no one wanted to try to break. Shran fed Soval some mushy stuff, barely paying his own meal any attention.

A very loud series of knocks made them all jump. Senkrad got to his feet.

"I'll get it!" and he almost ran out of the room.

"Who could take be?" wondered Melani. The door opened and Senkrad let out a strangled noise. Both Shran and Lissiel rolled their eyes. Simultaneously they said,

"Telk."

* * *

"Telk! What are you doing here?" Senkrad felt like bringing up his meal as he stared at Telk. Telk gave him that lazy smirk that made Senkrad's legs turn to melted ice. Damn Telk! Why did he always have this effect on Senkrad?

"I came to see you. If you know what I mean."

"Oh I know but the timing could not be worse."

"The timing's always bad according to you."

"Well this time I mean it! My grandparents are here, and also joining us for dinner are two humans, two Tellerites, my brother's on and off ex, my sister, who's very angry at one of the humans for rejecting her, a Vulcan my brother might or might not be attracted to and a little baby boy that belongs to the Vulcan and my brother so… REALLY bad time!"

"Sounds like they'll be so busy you won't be missed."

Senkrad yelped as Telk grabbed him by the front of his new shirt and pulled him outside, pushing him against the now shut door and kissed him hard. Senkrad, stronger thanks to years of hauling himself, equipment and, occasionally, another person up cliffs, managed to push Telk away with one hand, while the other pushed himself away from the door.

"Stop Telk."

"Can we not do this? Can we just skip the whole scenario where you tell me this isn't going to happen and I manage to convince you that it will and then it does and afterwards you ask me to leave like a criminal?"

"I don't ask you to leave like a criminal."

"Then a ghost or something because you always tell me to leave before your siblings see me. If it weren't for the fact that I really like you I wouldn't keep coming back."

Senkrad faltered at the angry tone Telk was using. It never occurred to him that Telk had been upset by Senkrad's behaviour.

"You shouldn't keep coming back. We shouldn't keep doing this."

"Oh come on! Not this again. Sen, we're good when we're together."

"And then we fight and break up and then get back together again because I can't say no to you and you can't stay away." Senkrad wished he had his younger brother's strength and confidence. Thy'lek would have sent Telk running away by now. "It's bad for both of us Telk. Why can't you find someone else?"

"Because no one else is like you."

"Why is that a good thing?"

"Because!"

"That's not an answer."

"Oh spirits curse you Senkrad Shran! Why do you have to always drive me out of my mind!" Telk's hands were curling into fists and he was shaking them in frustration.

"Why do you stop me from saying no? Wait, I know the answer to that. I'm a pushover. I know I am, and I'm fine with that. If I wasn't a pushover then my siblings and I would have no peace. Being a pushover means I can help my sister and my brother. But I can't have you taking advantage of it Telk. So go away and don't come back to me."

"You have to be joking!"

"I'm not. I'm sorry Telk, but I've been using you. And I think you know it."

"Using me?"

"I'm scared about Thy'lek. I'm terrified that at some point he'll go over that edge again and this time I won't be able to save him. I'm scared that he'll spend the rest of his life in a mental hospital or worse, that he might..."

"Your brother's fine! He won't crack because you stop keeping him wrapped in silk and treating him like he'll shatter at any moment. Your brother's Commander Shran! He's unstoppable. He's tough. He's-"

"My baby brother that I love. I love him so much that I'm scared I'll loose him again. You were a distraction from that Telk. I'm sorry but it's true."

"But, but…" Telk waved his hand in the air, as if he was trying to grab at words. "You… I…"

"You know I'm right. I use you as a distraction and you use me because you're scared to go for anyone else." Senkrad smiled, "The Imperial Guard has spread this imagine of us Andorians being so confident, comfortable and passionate with our mating behaviour, that us Andorians who are a little more reserved about mating feel that we won't find anyone."

"Yes." The word was released with a heavy sigh. "Yes, I guess that's true."

"You'll be fine if you stop worrying about it Telk."

"I'm an Andorian. If I've got a bad sex life then that's cause to worry!" Telk smiled a little, and then sighed. "I suppose I'd better go."

"I think you should."

"I'm not coming back."

"Good."

"Good. Goodbye Senkrad."

"Goodbye Telk."

Telk walked away. Senkrad watched him leave, feeling himself tremble for a moment. All the things he said had been true, he was scared about his brother. It was the reason he'd been sleeping with his old stuffed animal. It reminded him of a time when the wars between Andoria and Teller and Vulcan had meant nothing to him and his siblings, when Thy'lek would climb into his bed if he couldn't sleep and fall asleep sucking his thumb. Senkrad had never been able to admit that before.

Still shaking Senkrad went back into the house, almost crashing into Thy'lek, who was waiting for him.

One look at Thy'lek's face told Senkrad that he'd heard everything.

"You should have told me you were scared about me."

"I have… or I've tried, but you always get angry with me. I'm tired of anger and misery."

"So am I. That's why I get annoyed whenever you bring it up. Because it reminds me of everything, and I don't want to remember. I want to look forward, and every time you act like I'm going to shatter it just brings everything back."

"I don't mean to-" Senkrad cut himself off when Thy'lek touched his arm. As he did so his sleeve was pulled up a little. Old, faint scars were visible for a moment before Senkrad looked into his brother's eyes.

"Stop apologising Senkrad. And stop putting us before you. You're not mama or papa, you're our brother. We take care of each other."

"But you just-"

"I didn't know how hard it was for you. I was being selfish and only thinking about how it was affecting me in relation to you."

"I don't get it."

"I mean, I'd get angry when you brought things like that up and then I'd get angry again because you made me feel guilty because I'd upset you. Does that make sense?"

"A little I suppose."

"Sen you have to talk to us. I don't like finding out my brother's been trying to escape his own life by having sex with someone he doesn't even like by eavesdropping."

"I was ashamed."

"And I'm ashamed of half my life. Since you keep asking me to talk to you, then you have to be able to talk to me."

"Share the shame." Senkrad tried to smile but it came out like a grimace. Thy'lek's antennas drooped a little more. "It's kind of hard having them here."

"Tell me about it. I know it's bad enough for me, but at least they acknowledge me. I hate the way they ignore you!"

"I'm not a great scientist or a head of government, my line of work doesn't help people to walk or talk again and it certainly doesn't end two century long wars."

"Oh who cares! You may not have a job that the world considers remarkable but you're the one who takes care of us! I may handle the children, but I can't handle our siblings half as well as you can, and that's partly because they don't trust me."

"They trust you! Whoever said they didn't?"

"I mean they don't trust me to not do something stupid. I've a history of it! And it always puts our family through torment."

"Thy'lek-"

"Chasing ice bores and ending up with third degree burns, joining the Guard and being a prisoner of war in a Vulcan torture facility for five years, taking another two years to get home… to say nothing of my choices afterwards. I put our family through hell time and again and without you it would have fallen apart! You were the one who reassured Sanakral to marry Lealion and you were the one who told Sakrana that she was denying her feelings for Ducheddet. Sen, you have kept us all going, after mama and papa died you were the only one who talked to me. After Trenach died you were the one who got me to come out of my room. Senkrad, they haven't a clue what they are talking about! They are our grandparents and I will love them because of that, but I don't like them! I don't like them at all!"

"Thy'lek…" Senkrad's eyes were wide and he was looking over Thy'lek's shoulder. Thy'lek looked. Narion stood there, ridged. He wasn't looking at them, in fact it looked like he'd frozen on the way to the lavatory. Senkrad and Thy'lek watched, wide eyed as Narion lifted his head, swallowed and continued on to the lavatory. The brothers shared a look.

"We need to get the next dish."

"Right."

Senkrad watched as his brother set out the fifteen bowls of second course soup, but his mind kept wandering and Thy'lek noticed.

"Get out of here Sen."

"What?"

"I said, get out of here." Thy'lek's voice was kind, "Go take a walk, go climbing or something. Or shopping. When was the last time you went shopping for anything other than things I send you out for?"

"You shop for me."

"And that has got to stop. Now go on."

"But what about-"

"Forget about me. Go on, get out of here so you can clear your head."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive! Now go before I change my mind." Thy'lek threw a towel at Senkrad, catching him in the face. Senkrad laughed and stood up, tossing the towel back.

"If you're sure. I'll be back soon, I promise."

"Take your time."

* * *

When Shran walked into the dinning room he stopped short at what he saw. Narion was holding Soval in his arms, staring at him with fierce concentration. One finger was gently tracing over Soval's cheek, then his eyebrows and then over one delicately tipped ear. Soval cooed as his antennas wandered over Narion's neck and shoulders.

Shran noticed T'Pol was watching with a very faint knot between her eyes. She was concerned about this change in attitude. Shran wasn't. His grandsire would never harm a child. Especially not his great grandchild.

Narion looked up at Shran and Shran didn't flinch away from the piercing look in his eyes. He knew he'd hurt his grandfather, but he wasn't about to back down.

"He's beautiful Thy'lek. He's perfect." said Narion, his voice a little choked. Shran nodded,

"He is grandsire. He is."

Walking over to the table, Shran set down the plates he was carrying. Then he turned to his grandsire, wondering what he would say now. Narion sighed,

"This child defies convention and Andorian ways in many ways. He is yours, but you did not have a hand in creating him."

"Neither did T'Pol."

"True… and I suppose, since convention has already been abandoned, there is no point in trying to push other conventions on either of you." Narion passed Soval to Shran, who held him close and smiled a little when Soval rested his little head on his shoulder. "We do not want to cause any misery in this house."

Shran nodded his head, giving his grandsire the barest of smiles. He appreciated what Narion was trying to do, but it wouldn't change how he felt overnight. Narion nodded and sat down. There was silence for a moment, and then Narion got a wicked smirk (which his grandson had inherited and was famous for) on his face and his turned to his granddaughter.

"So tell me Lissiel, what has Archer done to anger you so? You two keep looking at each other and I can't help but wonder what he did that irked you so much."

Archer's face went crimson and Lissiel took a deep breath as she began to explain what he'd done. Shran chuckled, gave Soval to T'Pol and went to get the rest of the meal, making a mental note to bring out the ale. Now that the ice had been broken, and his grandsire would make sure the other three loosened up as well, things would improve… or get worse. It was never certain with his grandparents.

* * *

"All in all I think this has been a remarkably pleasant evening." said Melani, smiling as they began the dessert.

"Once certain people took those poles out of their backsides." grinned Ghee, now seated beside his wife. One of his hands was wandering through Melani's long blonde and silver streaked hair and they were sharing affectionate looks.

"Yes well… it is our obligation as their grandparents to cause unrest." said Aresa, now leaning back in her chair, holding Narion's hand on the table. Her cheeks were very faintly flushed from all the ale she'd been drinking. Narion had Soval in his lap and was playing some kind of fingers and toes game with the babe that had them both laughing. Th'nack and Tenal were talking with Gral and his wife about their respective families, Gral letting out booming laughs to signify that one of the Andorians had let slip something the Tellerite would be able to use to blackmail Shran later on again. Shran had given up trying to stop them.

"Where's Sen!" exclaimed Tenal, looking around. "He's been gone a while."

"Only two hours grandmamma!" laughed Lissiel, "Honestly you're so oblivious sometimes."

"Two hours? Well what in the name of the spirits could he be doing."

"I believe it involves himself, Telk, a horizontal surface of some kind and very little clothing."

Trip choked on his drink and began to laugh. Archer tried to hide his own amusement, but he wasn't succeeding.

"He's stopped seeing Telk actually." said Shran, "He told him it was over and Telk left. I sent Sen out to take a walk and told him to take his time."

"Ah, that explains it. I was beginning to wonder." Tenal looked thoughtful. "That boy… I swear sometimes I don't know what to expect from him. I mean Lissiel, you have a job that's steady and regular and we know you'll eventually settle with a mate. And Thy'lek, well, we expect you to be unpredictable, so we never really have expectations for you. You do what you like and you never apologise for it."

"A great quality!" cheered Ghee, raising his glass to Shran. Shran returned the gesture with a smirk.

"But Senkrad… he's both dependable and unpredictable and he doesn't seem to know what he wants. It worries me sometimes."

"Sen spends too much time worrying about the rest of us so he doesn't think about himself enough. He's too selfless." said Shran, shaking his head. Then he stretched, hearing a satisfying crack in his back. T'Pol shot him a look that told him she didn't approve of the sound and he smirked at her.

"He should try to find a woman to be with. Works out better than with a male." said Th'nack, giving his wife a cheeky wink. Tenal laughed and hit him across the head with a light movement.

"Now grandpapa, that's not true." said Shran, "Gender has nothing to do with it. Senkrad just needs to find someone he actually likes."

Telev lifted his head at this statement and he seemed to be trying to meet Shran's eyes. Shran didn't notice, too absorbed in his conversation with his grandpapa and grandmamma. T'Pol did and her eyebrow twitched a little. She'd noticed that Telev had gotten rather quiet, spending much of his time staring at Shran with a curious expression. Shran had been too absorbed in enjoying the sudden light-hearted atmosphere in the room and trying to stop Th'nack and Tenal from telling all his mishaps as a child. Gral's obvious favourite was when Ghee, Narion and their friend Sloat accidentally got a seven year old Shran drunk by giving him the wrong drink and Shran had decided it would be a fun thing to run through the city naked and singing a rather lewd song that the old men had been singing when they'd thought he was asleep. Needless to say it was a long time before Shran had lived that incident down in the city.

"Hm, I suppose… although I have to say I'm glad I chose my lovely wife! None of the men I ever slept with are anything compared to her."

"Hey!" Ghee exclaimed, sounding insulted, "I was one of them, remember?"

"Where you? I don't remember…" Th'nack scrunched his lips and furrowed his brow in thought. Shran burst out laughing,

"Shows how much of an impression you made on my grandpapa, eh, Old Man?"

"Humph!" Ghee tried to look annoyed, but his twinkling eyes gave him away.

T'Pol could not comprehend how Andorians could be so free about their 'escapades'. To openly discuss that two of the men present, both of which were married, had once had a… relation between them was baffling to her.

T'Pol remembered once thinking that humans were extremely forward in their sexual behaviour. Now it was apparent Humans were only half as bad as Andorians, and of course, Denobulans. Dr. Phlox would have enjoyed this dinner immensely.

Shran got to his feet and said, "I'll get more drink." to cheers from most of the table. T'Pol got to her feet and followed him without a word, certain she would not be missed for a few minutes.

"Something wrong T'Pol?" asked Shran as he stuck his head into the large liquor cabinet.

"I just wanted to tell you that tonight has gone better than I had anticipated."

"I have to agree with you. I mean… I knew that once they'd settled down a little they'd be fine. And when they'd had some alcohol things would improve even more. My grandparents are predictable in one way and unpredictable in another. Still, they seemed to accept you far quicker than I thought they would."

"Perhaps the dress mollified them."

Shran snorted, "My grandparents aren't that taken in by fashion. No. I'd say part of it is they just want to make sure things are good for me and my siblings. Fighting with you would only annoy me. So… no fighting."

"That is-" T'Pol cut herself off as a wave of dizziness made her stagger a little. Shran grabbed her elbow and looked at her with a frown.

"What's wrong."

"I feel dizzy." T'Pol also realised she was breathless and it only made her head spin more.

"Sit down." Shran directed her to the couch and helped her sit, sitting beside her. "I'd bet its that dress. It takes a few wears to get used to."

"Are your formal clothes similar?"

"Mine are male, but if you mean as tight and boning, then yes. It makes even the best of us dizzy at times."

"Is there anyway to loosen it without removing the dress? The dizziness is not passing."

"I can loosen it a little, if you'll let me."

"Please." Shran, looking a little unsure of himself, reached out and slipped his hand under the jacket, below the cummerbund. His hand was warm through the silk and T'Pol felt her back stiffen as he ran his fingers over the laces, looking for the knot. When he found it, Shran gave it a few tugs and twists and T'Pol felt the dress loosen a little, and her chest expanded. After a moment the dizziness passed and T'Pol took in a few deep breaths to ensure she would not stumble again.

"That enough?" asked Shran, his voice quiet. T'Pol became aware of how close they were sitting together and of Shran's hand slowly retreating from under her jacket.

"Yes."

T'Pol looked Shran straight in the eyes and was intrigued by the curious mixture of hardness, mischief, curiosity, gentleness and cleverness she saw.

When their lips touched neither was sure who'd initiated it but neither pulled away. Both were slow, careful, each following the other's lead. T'Pol was expecting Shran's tongue to touch her lips in question and Shran was prepared for her answer to allow him to deepen the kiss. T'Pol leaned towards Shran, while Shran ran one fingertip along the line of her neck. His antennas brushed her hair and T'Pol placed one hand on his shoulder to hold him still. When they parted they stared at each other, neither sure what to say. T'Pol didn't take her hand away from Shran's shoulder and Shran's slightly ragged breathing was ghosting over her lips.

Then they realised they weren't alone.

Turning towards the door of the dining room, T'Pol met Trip's darkened blue eyes and Shran met Telev's sad ones. They stared in shock at them. Then Trip spoke, his voice low and hard.

"Well… this is awkward."

* * *

Phew! That was a long chapter. Let me know what you think. Pairings will be made completely obvious next chapter, and I'll do my best to post it soon, although I need to start it first, lol.

Night's Darkness


	16. Chapter 16

Howdy hey! (… erm, may have watched too much South Park recently for that kind of greeting). I'm so glad to be putting this chapter up. I'm sure it'll satisfy most people with the pairings in case anyone thought I'd ignored you completely. I hope I got all the characters right. This was actually the hump in the road I've been trying to climb over for the last… oh… four chapters! Now the rest of the story should go smoothly… at least as smoothly as I can actually make a fic of mine.

Anyhoo! Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 16**

"We were wondering where you two had gone, and so we came to find you. Sorry we interrupted your moment." saidTrip, not even trying to hide his bitterness and fury. "I'm suddenly not feeling very jolly, so I think I'll just go back to Enterprise. Thanks for dinner Shran." Trip grabbed his coat and stormed out of the house.

"Trip!" T'Pol didn't even stop to think. She just hurried after Trip, knowing that she had to rectify this. "Trip wait!"

Trip didn't reply, preferring to continue on towards the platform that would bring him to the surface. T'Pol picked up the pace and managed to catch him by the elbow, bringing him to a halt.

"What do you want Commander?" Trip's voice was flat, underneath which lay a layer of bitterness.

"I wish to speak with you about what you just saw.

"You know, I really don't feel like getting a play by play of how you two started making out, so if you'll excuse me." Trip tried to pull away but T'Pol held tight and, since Vulcans were stronger than humans, he was forced to stay. "T'Pol I really don't want to talk to you right now."

"I understand that you are angry-"

"Angry? Hell yeah I'm angry! After everything that's happened between us, you just up and make out with Shran. You know T'Pol, I don't know how Vulcans do things, but humans don't appreciate being played around with."

"I am not trying to 'play around' with you Trip."

"You marry another guy after inviting me to Vulcan to meet your mother. Then, after you get divorced, and you basically ignore me, or at least refuse to treat me as anything more than a co-worker, I try to move on with my life by transferring to Columbia. But you didn't approve of that, so you decide to play hockey with my tonsils in order to get me to come back, but when I do, we're right back to the co-worker treatment. And then after-" Trip grimaced, and swallowed hard, "-after Elizabeth… I mean… I just… I just don't know what to do anymore T'Pol. But I refuse to be played. You may be able to repress your emotions, but I can't, and quite frankly, they're too bruised to take any more. So why don't you go back to Shran and raise Soval like the perfect little family and leave me alone?"

"I will not go back to Shran, we are not in a relationship."

"Yeah, the kissing indicated otherwise." snorted Trip.

"We are not in a relationship." T'Pol's tone and her grip became firmer, "What you saw… was the results of confusion."

"Confusion?"

"I have been… confused about whether or not I have been attracted to Shran. And I believe he is much the same. The kiss was an attempt to understand what was… between us."

"Sure looked like it helped make things very clear."

"It did, but not in the way you believe."

"Oh?"

"Yes. I did not… feel anything when I kissed Shran. I believe it is to do with the bond forming between us and Soval that has been confusing us."

"So what's all that mean to me?"

"Trip, I… care a great deal for you, but it has been difficult to accept this, and with the issues between us, such as Koss and Elizabeth, I was unsure how to proceed, or what to do. However when you left Enterprise, I… longed for your presence."

Trip shifted where he stood and T'Pol let go of his elbow, certain he would not try to leave just then.

"I am sorry that I have upset you so and I am sorry to have confused you, but I was as confused as you were. It is illogical that I should miss you, and yet I did when you left. And it was not logical that I behave as I did when we… copulated that night in the Expanse. I do not know why I so lost control of my emotions." T'Pol knew why she had lost control, but she was not prepared to tell Trip. Not yet. "Everything about what is between us defies logic, yet I cannot ignore it. I have tried. I have tried to remain logical, but I have failed. And the distress caused by Elizabeth's death only made things more difficult."

"You should have talked to me." Trip's voice was quiet.

"Vulcans do not speak of feelings. We must suppress them, it is our way and everything between us goes against that."

"Look T'Pol, I respect that your people are different to mine, and that you do things a different way. But I'm not gonna be a sucker taken along for the ride."

"I am sorry Trip, and I understand that. However…" T'Pol looked around, unsure how to proceed.

"However what?"

"However, if you would accept, I would like to participate in and pursue a relationship with you. I understand if you don't accept."

"Answer me this first, what kind of feelings do you have for Shran?"

"I believe we are becoming… friends, and that we must attempt to remain that way for the sake of our son, but I do not have the kind of feelings for him that I do for you."

"Ok… so… what if I say no?"

"I will respect your wishes, and I apologise if I have made things awkward between us."

"And if I say yes?"

"I… I am not sure what you mean."

"Well, what'll happen if I say yes?"

"I would assume we would attempt to… become more intimate with one another." T'Pol was struggling for words, as she had no real idea how to answer the question.

"So what your trying to say is, you don't love Shran, and you have feelings for me."

"As illogical as it is, yes."

"And you want us to be together?"

"Yes." There was a definite note of determination in her voice. Trip nodded and a small smile was spreading his lips.

"Ok then."

"You agree?"

"Yeah, I agree."

They stared at each other for a moment before Trip chuckled, saying, "If this was a movie, this would be the time when we'd-"

T'Pol hooked a hand around the back of Trip's neck and pulled him down to her lips. His were warm against hers and a strange tingle went up T'Pol's spine as one of his hands went to her waist.

As they parted, Trip was grinning. "-kiss." He finished.

"We should return to the house, the other's will wonder where we've gone."

"Let's walk around first, they won't die without us in the next twenty minutes."

"That sounds… pleasant."

* * *

Shran watched T'Pol run after Trip feeling rather like he'd been hit in the face. Oh, not about T'Pol leaving, he was actually relieved, since it seemed to indicate that T'Pol hadn't felt any more in the kiss than he had, or probably less, given her species. Yet he couldn't explain what he was feeling or why he was feeling it. Then he looked at Telev, who was staring at the ground like a kicked wumvin. Ah, that was why.

Shran wanted to say something to the other man, but he found the words caught in his throat. Turning away, Shran walked out into the small back garden of his childhood home. The garden was nothing spectacular, just a lot of blue grass, with forgotten, overgrown and dead flowerbeds. His oldest brother, Trenach, had always been the one to tend to the garden. After he'd died, the garden had been neglected. No one else had quite the skill with plant life that Tren had had.

Shran could remember being in the hospital, after he'd been foolish enough to chase after an ice bore and fall into a nest and get third degree burns over half his body, and struggling to even stand. He'd been five and terrified. Tren had come to see him one day, a few weeks after the accident and had given him an unopened trigal flower. The flowers had seven long petals and it glowed when it flowered. They were a very beautiful flower, highly prized on Andoria, not because of their rarity, you could get them anywhere on Andoria, but because they were so beautiful.

Shran hadn't quite understood why Trenach had given him a trigal flower that hadn't blossomed, but had done as his big brother had told him and taken care of it as best he could, with his physiotherapist Talla helping him. As Shran had worked to relearn how to walk again, the flower had grown and on the day he'd managed to walk across a hall on his own, the flower had blossomed. Shran had understood his brother's point then.

'_What would you think of all this big brother? You'd probably be laughing at how silly we've all been.' _

"Going to hide from the others for a while?" asked Telev as he followed Shran out, his voice an attempt to sound light. Shran looked over his shoulder at Telev.

"Thinking about it."

Telev chuckled, "Fair enough." He shifted where he stood, looking uncomfortable and resentful. "Look, I just wanted to say… if you want to be with T'Pol… then I'll… try to be all right with it." The grimace was audible in Telev's voice. He was almost choking on the words.

"I don't want to be with T'Pol." said Shran without turning around.

"Oh merciful spirits thank you." said Telev, sounding very relieved. "I'm not used to you liking them. Bedding one would have been too much for me to handle."

"I don't plan on doing anything of the kind with a Vulcan. I'd prefer someone who was of my own kind."

"Really?" Telev's voice had perked up at once.

"I just… don't get why it's taken me so long to realise that I don't want T'Pol in that way. I'm usually good at knowing what I want."

"True, very true." Telev came closer, standing so their shoulders were touching. Shran gave him a curious look, and Telev smirked a little in response. "But then again you haven't had a child in the middle of it all."

"What are you talking about?"

"Ever consider that you felt obligated to be with T'Pol because she's Soval's mother and that's how things work for Andorians?"

"Honestly? It did not." Shran frowned, his arms folded across his chest. Telev chuckled and pushed his face against Shran's shoulder, the tips of his antennas brushing against Shran's neck. Shran closed his eyes for a moment, savouring the touch. Sparks seemed to fly through his spine and made his antennas stand on end. Damn Telev and his seductive ways.

"Well maybe you should consider it. I mean, how likely is it that you felt honour bound to be attracted to T'Pol because she's the mother of your child and among Andorians, unless a neuter adopts a child, which, as we both know, is rare, children are only part of married couples. Ever think that because it's a rule of nature you felt you had to be with her?"

"No. But it does make sense… I guess."

Telev raised his head, smiling a little, "Are you scared Thy'lek?"

"Of what?" Shran managed to sound offended.

"Of finding someone else now that Talas is no longer alive? I know you loved her very much."

Shran's antennas wilted, "I'm not afraid of it. Imperial Guardsmen don't let fear cloud their judgement. I'm… I'm just a little lost. We were planning on marrying, that's how strong it was between us."

Telev's antennas stiffened in surprise and then fell in sadness. "You never told me that."

"I didn't even tell Sen. Lissiel knows, but she guessed it and I was too tired at the time to deny it."

"So… what are you lost about? You thought you had found the lifemate for you and now don't know how to bring yourself to start searching again?"

"That sounds… yes." Shran hung his head, feeling embarrassed that Telev was able to see through him. Telev reached out and put a curled finger under Shran's chin, making him look up at him.

"Don't feel embarrassed. I know that feeling. Quite well."

"You lost someone you would have bonded with?"

"Yes."

"You never told me that. Who was it?"

"You know him quite well." said Telev, his cheeks flushing a little. Shran frowned in confusion and he looked away, trying to recall someone he knew that Telev could have been that close to. Telev's eyes widened in surprise and then they rolled, "I'm talking about you, you fool!" he said, laughing at the look on Shran's face. "Honestly, how did you not get that straight away?"

"You… we… um…" Shran grimaced. He hated it when he had to fumble for words, but it was a skill Telev had been practising for many, many years doing to him. "I didn't realise you thought we might… I mean, you never told me or made me think, any of the times we were together."

"It was just this one time when we were together." Telev let his hand drop and he began to fiddle with Shran's sleeve, preferring to look at it rather than him, going coy.

"Which time?" Shran couldn't help but grin. He and Telev had been together so many times it was hard to keep track of when they did what in which time. Telev smiled, his dark eyes twinkling at him.

"The second time we were together. When you had finished Imperial Academy."

"When I started my Guardsmanship?" Shran's eyes were wide. "Telev we were barely out of childhood. I was 22 and you were 20! And that was when I was-" Shran stopped, looking at Telev, feeling sad as Telev looked up at him under lowered eyelids, shy. "Oh."

Telev nodded, "Yes. Oh."

"I'm sorry Telev."

"It's not your fault you got taken prisoner by the Vulcans for five years."

"I didn't realise you… felt that strongly for me."

"I didn't either until you disappeared. Then I remember wondering what life would be like if you hadn't joined the Guard, if you'd gone into music like your parents thought you should-"

"And you thought I should." reminded Shran, smiling a little.

"Well… you were good at it! But, anyway, I just wondered what would have happened if you hadn't joined and I realised that I was wondering what it would have been like if we'd… bonded." Telev looked very embarrassed, which was a look most people thought made him look very sweet. Having been stuck with that word himself when he was a child –being the youngest was such a nightmare when it came to shaking words like that- Shran never said it, even though he agreed. He reached out and touched Telev's shoulder, squeezing it.

"It wouldn't have been a good time for either of us… but the fact that you wondered about it… means a lot to me Telev."

"Don't get all soft on me." Telev joked, even as his hand moved down Shran's arm and his fingers started brushing against Shran's. Shran smiled.

"Wouldn't dream of it."

They stood in silence for a few minutes, just their fingers touching each other's, eyes wandering around the garden. It had a spectacular view of the city, going almost all the way through it, and down to the park. Telev was the first to snap.

"Damn it Thy'lek! If you don't start kissing me right now I'm going to kick you!"

Shran smirked to himself, he'd been waiting for that, and, without further delay, he kissed Telev, nipping his lips as he did. Telev responded at once, grabbing onto the back of Shran's head and pulling him closer. Shran chuckled and bit down on Telev's lower lip. Telev groaned and bit back. Shran pushed him back until he hit the wall of the house, chuckling again at the grunt of surprise Telev let slip. Their antennas scooped against each other and Shran put his arms around Telev's slim waist.

Telev smelled like warmth, sweet warmth, with a male muskiness underneath. He was lithe, but strong and held onto Shran tight as they devoured each other's mouths, biting and kissing with fervour. Shran had missed this, had missed the fire they had between them, which, even after so much time, had never gone out, like their feelings.

Just as Telev began to tug at Shran's new shirt, trying to get it off, they were interrupted.

"As happy as I am to see you two at it again, and as reluctant as I am to break up the reunion, I'm going to have to order you two back to the table."

Shran pulled away to meet Melani's eyes as she laughed at them. Telev pouted and put his arms around Shran's neck, letting his antennas rub against Shran's.

"You have very bad timing Lady." Telev said.

"Oh I know Telev, but that's why I'm like a grandmother to the five of them, I always interrupt the fun parts. Now come inside and help your poor Tellerite. He's loosing his argument with Th'nack."

"Well we can't have that, can we?" smirked Shran. "Let's go save the pig."

"Probably for the best, we wouldn't want him to start an interplanetary incident over it."

"Exactly. It would render all my hard work pointless."

Telev rested his head on Shran's shoulder as they walked into the house, his antennas brushing against Shran's cheek and neck. Shran smiled a little to himself as they went into the dinning room where Gral was arguing, quite loudly, with his grandfather, putting an arm around Telev's shoulders.

"What's going on here?" called Shran. Everyone looked at him, and his grandparents and Ghee took one look at the way he and Telev were standing together and their lips spread into huge knowing grins. Lissiel looked surprised, but then she smirked and winked at Telev who smiled.

"Your grandfather is an idiot!" squealed Gral.

"Really? Well, you know what humans say. Takes one to know one." smirked Shran, sitting down in his original seat, while Telev took T'Pol's empty one. Gral grunted and said,

"What does that say about you if you were able to spot it too?"

"Oh my, is this going to be one of those you're-a-bigger-idiot-than-I-am games? Because if it is, then Archer should be involved, after all, I'm sure he'll be declared the biggest of all the idiots." sneered Lissiel.

"Quite right! What's wrong with you Archer?" demanded Narion, dandling Soval on his knee, "My granddaughter is a wonderful example of Andorian womanhood, and you reject her? There must be something wrong with you."

Archer flushed, but he spoke with confidence, "I assure you, what I said, wasn't what I meant. Lissiel's probably the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, and given present company, that's saying a lot. But humans, if they really feel attracted to someone, don't just hop into bed with each other. We go on dates."

Never let it be said that Jonathon Archer couldn't string a few impressive sentences together under pressure.

"Dates?"

"Go to dinner at a restaurant, see a movie, spend time with each other, get to know each other, before we sleep together. It makes the experience much more enjoyable, because it's a matter of emotions, as well as physical attraction."

"Well why didn't you just say that?" demanded Lissiel. "Why did you call it all a mistake and didn't elaborate?"

"Because I was hung over and exhausted with no memory of what had happened last night. I wasn't in the best condition to make myself comprehensible. I am sorry if I upset you Lissiel, and I'd like to make it up to you, if you'll allow me. I'll find out what would be a good time on Andoria and take you out, so we can get to know one another."

Lissiel sat there, her arms across her chest, giving him a narrow-eyed look, as if trying to see whether he was lying. Archer stared back, silently glad that all those times of having such staring contests with Shran had prepared him for this encounter. He hadn't felt like this for a long time, and he was hopeful that he would be able to forge a relationship with Lissiel. It might only be brief, but Archer knew it would be interesting and he wanted to learn all he could about Lissiel.

"Alright, fine. But you'd better make it good." smirked Lissiel, relaxing her shoulders. Archer grinned like a Cheshire cat. Ghee furrowed his brow,

"Is everyone at this dinner pairing off?"

"Yup!" grinned Narion holding up Soval, who was clutching onto a new stuffed toy wumvin. "Even the baby's found a partner."

Shran laughed and took his son from his grandsire. Soval smiled up at him, kicking his legs out and he was set in his papa's lap. "Did you get that for him? You're already spoiling him grandsire."

"A child needs a toy to take to bed. I seem to recall yours Thy'lek. What was he called again? Fuzzy?"

Shran flushed, while Gral let out a snort, "No grandsire. That was Senkrad's."

"It was Speckle grandsire, remember?" smirked Lissiel.

"He was not called Speckle either! Would you stop telling people that Lis!" Shran shook his head.

"So what was he called then?"

Everyone was watching Shran with large grins. Shran sank in his seat and muttered, going navy with embarrassment,

"Furball."

Gral broke into squeals of laughter, while Ghee guffawed, looking charmed. Shran looked close to rolling his eyes but Telev's hand on his knee made him forget his annoyance at once.

"Whatever happened to your stuffed toy Lissiel? I seem to recall you carried it everywhere for a while and then he vanished."

"Oh… I don't remember." Lissiel waved her hand in the air, dismissing the question.

"Not true. You tore him to bits because you weren't allowed any dessert after our parents found out what you did to me and Senkrad."

"Oh, let it go Thy'lek. It happens to the best of us." Lissiel rolled her eyes at her brother and Archer's mouth went rather dry at the movement.

"An older sister tying and gagging you and stuffing you under her bed and forgetting she'd done it happens to the best of us? I don't think so!" spluttered Shran. Gral sniggered,

"My love, aren't you glad we came along now? How often do you get to hear this sort of juicy blackmail?"

"I must admit you have a point husband." smirked Hege.

"Now Soval's got two toys. He's got a stuffed sehlat as well. From his original parents."

"T'Pol mentioned that." Shran nodded his head. Telev looked a little jealous at the mention of the Vulcan woman and Shran found his hand and squeezed it in reassurance.

"Where is T'Pol? And Trip? Are they in the main room?"

'_How to put this?'_ wondered Shran, before speaking,

"They… had a disagreement and I think they went outside to discuss it in private. I'm sure they'll be back soon enough."

"Well since Trip's seat is free…" Lissiel got out of her chair and took possession of Trip's beside Archer, who flushed like a schoolboy as she smiled at him in that sensuous way Shran knew well meant Lissiel would not be alone in her bed tonight. With the way Telev was staring at him and had his hand on his knee, something told Shran he wouldn't be either.

"Thy'lek? Where will we be staying tonight?" asked Th'nack.

"You and grandmamma can take Tren's old room, Senkrad cleared it out for you. Grandsire, grandmother, you'll be taking our parents old room, and Lady, Old Man, you'll get the guest bedroom."

"Sounds good to me!" cheered Ghee. His weathered cheeks were flushed near navy and he was swaying a little in his seat. Shran noted the three empty bottles in front of the Old Man and groaned. Knowing Ghee and Melani after they'd had a lot of drink, no one would be getting any sleep that night… that is, if they had planned to get any.

"Ghee, I gotta ask!" Apparently Ghee wasn't the only one who'd had a little too much. "What do you do for a living that's given you such amazing biceps?"

"Well Jon, I'm head of a mining company. It's hauling huge chunks of ice and rock around that'll give you these sorts of muscles." Ghee flexed his armed exaggeratedly, earning laughter from everyone. "Interested?"

"Thanks, but I think I'll stick to exploring."

"Exploring! Now that's the sort of thing we Imperial Guardsmen did on our down time. Exploring was our holiday! And here you pink-skins are doing it for a living. It's madness!"

"Exploring can be fun grandsire. Don't you remember Ulo'polis?"

"Ah, Ulo'polis. Who could forget?"

"What's Ulo'polis?" asked Archer.

"Not what. Who. He's a nebula. Or at least, he looks like a nebula, but he's really an intelligent creature. We've managed to work out a translator with him, so we can communicate with him. It's like having a conversation with a fat five year old." chuckled Shran, bouncing Soval on his knee. This made Soval giggle and coo.

"A talking nebula, now that has to be one of the strangest things I've ever heard of."

"Well it's true. Maybe you could ask for the co-ordinates so you could meet him."

"I think I will."

"Bah! Such a lazy species!" grunted Narion, although he was smiling, which told that he meant no harm.

"With all due respect sir, we haven't been doing much exploring as of late. It's been catastrophe after catastrophe, alien attack after alien attack. We've seen quite a lot of action out there."

"Hm, I doubt it."

"Oh stop." Ghee whacked Narion across the antennas, shaking his head. "You're the one these youths get their stubborn streak from."

"No, that was my wife."

"No, it was my husband." said Tenal.

"No it was you Tenal." smiled Th'nack

"Basically you're all very stubborn and we didn't stand a chance." summarised Shran, rolling his eyes at Archer who laughed. Gral snorted.

"Sounds about right. Although your smirk came from Narion. There's no mistaking that."

"Absolutely!" agreed Aresa, her hand high on Narion's thigh. Narion was grinning with self-pride. "That smirk's unmistakeable."

Shran and Lissiel rolled their eyes again.

There was a knock at the door. Lissiel went to get it since Shran had Soval on his lap. They heard her open the door and laugh,

"We were going to send a search party out to find you soon."

"We were not long gone." said T'Pol. "I apologise if it caused upset."

"Take a joke Vulcan. They are rare from me to you." sneered Lissiel, as she, T'Pol and Trip entered the room.

It was easy to tell that something had happened between them, although what was anyone's guess since T'Pol's face was as stoic as ever. Yet there was a sparkle in her eye and Trip was grinning to himself, looking much lighter than when he'd arrived earlier. Shran smirked to himself. That hadn't taken as long as he'd expected. He shared a grin with Telev, who smirked back knowingly.

"You're just in time Commanders! We were about to demand some entertainment from our youngest grandson." said Tenal, turning her gaze to Shran who stiffened, looking very suspicious. "I think we should be favoured with some music, don't you agree Th'nack?"

"Oh absolutely my love. I can't think of a better way to end the night." agreed Th'nack. It was obvious where Shran got his mischievous grin, because it was shining on the older Andorian's face.

"No chance! I cooked. No way am I singing now. I'm too tired." protested Shran.

"What? After all those lessons I gave you in music, you'll refuse an eager audience." barked Ghee.

"Absolutely." Shran didn't bat an eyelid at the question. Ghee narrowed his eyes at him, as if contemplating a way to convince Shran to do as he was bid. "I'm not singing! I'll play for Lissiel, but I'm not singing. I'm too tired, my voice will be a mess."

"Wait! When did I get dragged into this?" Lissiel sat up straight.

"Just now." said Shran without looking away from Ghee. "Lissiel can sing and I'll play for her, but I'm not singing. I flat out refuse to."

"Oh stop putting up a fuss boy. Get your backside into that music room and play and sing for us." ordered Ghee, pointing out of the dining room.

"But-"

"Go!" cried all six elders. Shran grumbled and stood up, passing Soval into Telev's arms. Telev didn't blink and he settled Soval into his grip. Soval's antennas brushed against his shoulders, and the baby giggled. Telev grinned down at him, getting to his feet and following Shran out of the room, followed by the others.

They entered the music/painting room. It smelled like paint, and echoed a little. The walls were covered in relief's, of space battles, ice climbers hauling themselves up cliffs, politicians giving speeches and people working in labs or hospitals.

Hanging from the walls was an array of musical instruments, some clearly alien, and some very dusty from lack of use.

"Don't you ever clean these Thy'lek?" demanded Ghee, swiping at dust. Shran rolled his eyes and muttered something about 'being busy' but the rest was unintelligible. In the far corner of the room was an instrument that resembled a metal grand piano, although maybe a little smaller than that. Shran was testing it, head inclined to the instrument as he listened. Then he sat down and glared up at them,

"I hate you for this."

"We'll live." smirked Ghee, "Now play something cheery. Nothing sad!"

"All right! All right!" Shran shook his head and began to play. The music was fast, with a strong beat and Ghee let out a whoop of delight at the sound. Shran rolled his eyes and began to sing.

Shran's voice surprised Archer, Trip and Gral. He was actually pretty good. And his fingers flew over the keys of the instrument, which gave off a sound like a cross between a piano and a guitar. Ghee couldn't resist joining in for the choruses, beating his hands on the wall, and stamping his feet to add to the lively song. Telev bobbed to the beat, swaying Soval from side to side, earning chuckles from the child. Th'nack and Tenal started dancing, and Aresa put her arms around her husband, scooping her antennas against Narion's. When it ended, far too soon to the listeners, they applauded. Shran got to his feet and walked away from the instrument, indicating he had no intentions for an encore. He was smirking with pride though.

"Not bad Andorian. Not bad." said Gral, "Although what you Andorians call music, the rest of us call noise."

"Humph! What would a Tellerite know of music?" sneered Narion.

"Don't you dare start another pissing contest." warned Lissiel, raising a warning finger. Narion looked startled at his granddaughter's tone, then rolled his eyes and muttered something about 'genetic'. Lissiel smirked and then gave Archer a look that made his libido sit up and take interest. "Are you musical Archer?"

"I'm afraid not Lissiel. I've been called tone deaf more than once."

"What a shame."

"Still maybe your brother would favour us with another song. Stevie Wonder would be extremely appropriate tonight."

"Which song?" asked Shran, smirking as Archer blinked in surprise. "I downloaded loads of your earth music from Enterprise's database. I have to say you have weird styles. Although rap is very intriguing."

"Rap? Rap's just talking to a fast beat and being insulting. Now country music! There's something decent." said Trip smiling. Shran shook his head.

"Too… I can't think of an appropriate word for it."

"Cornball?" offered Archer with a cheeky grin.

"That sounds right even though I've no idea what it means."

"Oh says the man who listens to Abba!" Trip narrowed his eyes at Archer.

"Abba is timeless."

"More like tune-less."

"Gentlemen. Lets not get carried away. We all know human music is inferior to Andorian music in everyway anyway so what does it matter?"

Archer rolled his eyes at Shran who smirked back, taking Soval from Telev. Telev sidled up against Shran and rested his head on Shran's shoulder. T'Pol's eyebrow twitched in surprise.

"What time is it?" grunted Gral.

"2520 hours."

"Getting late." said Trip, "And I'm still beat from last night… whatever we did."

"Nothing too bad Trip, don't worry." said Shran smirking.

"Yes. At least you didn't end up running through the city naked like most of the people in this room."

"Ah! Good times!" smiled Aresa, looking away into space as she no doubt recalled the incidents.

"I'm glad I don't remember mine." said Telev, "I somehow ended up up a tree in the park, arms and legs wrapped around a branch, completely naked with Thy'lek and our friends taking pictures and laughing their asses off."

"Well it was funny. You were also singing for a good part of the time and while you may look good Telev, you're tone deaf, and even worse when you're drunk." Shran was chuckling.

"Hmph!" Telev tried to look annoyed but Shran whispered something in his ear and he seemed to melt and a smile spread over his face like butter.

"They're at it again." sighed Lissiel in Archer's ear. "It's always the same. Only I think this time it'll last. Thy'lek and Telev were made for each other."

"They do seem to… compliment each other." Archer wasn't sure what else he could say. Obviously he had no issue with two males in love, but he wasn't sure what to make of this development in what he was beginning to call, 'The Ultimate Alien Soap Opera'. It had definitely come out of left field for him.

"They're a good match. Drink pink-skin?" Lissiel put her hand on his arm for a moment. Archer instantly gave her his full attention, following her out of the room and into the main room. Lissiel pulled out another bottle of Andorian Ale.

"You must have an unlimited supply."

"May as well for the amount we have." Lissiel smirked, pouring some out for the both of them. "Now that we're away from my meddling grandparents and sibling, perhaps you could tell me what you intend to do now honestly."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, are you attracted to me and do you want to try to have a relationship with me?"

"A definite yes to both. But not just a physical one. I'd like to get to know you, to spend time with you."

"So it's also emotional." Lissiel's eyes narrowed, as if she wasn't sure if she could trust him.

"I'd like that very much. I don't need to know you well to know you're beautiful, intelligent, sharp and kind, but I'd like to know more than that. I'd like to know you."

Lissiel stared at him, then said, "Thy'lek told me you were soft, he wasn't wrong. However… I suppose that'll be a change of pace for me." And her antennas reached out towards him in a gesture of openness. Archer smiled at her and then leaned forward, intending on kissing her.

"Ah!" he yelped when Lissiel bit hard on his lower bit when he made contact, drawing blood. "What the-" Lissiel kissed him hard, gripping the front of his uniform so he went nowhere. When she finally released him, Archer staggered backwards, looking stunned. "Wow." He blurted. Lissiel smirked.

"Andorian women are far more aggressive than males, and humans, and since you don't remember last night at all… do you think you can handle me sober?"

"I can try."

"Good pink-skin."

Lissiel grabbed his uniform again and dragged him into her room, hurling a 'Goodnight' to the music room. Archer wasn't able to get a coherent word out the rest of the night.

* * *

"I think that's the sign that we must all go to bed."

"Bed sounds good." said Ghee, twirling Melani's hair around his fingers, a hungry look in his eyes. Shran's antennas were scooping against Telev's and Telev had possessive arms around him. Soval was asleep in his father's arms, his hands clutching the stuffed wumvin he'd been given tight. Narion and Aresa were already edging for the door. Gral and Hege were eyeing all the Andorians with uneasy looks.

"This room stinks of lust." said Gral in an undertone. T'Pol agreed wholeheartedly, the hunger and lust was almost tangible.

"We should be getting back to the ship." she said to Trip who nodded, smiling at her. "What about Soval?"

"He can stay here in the playroom, we've got a crib in there. No point in waking him now."

"Agreed." T'Pol was slightly relieved, as she wished to speak more with Trip and Soval's crib in her quarters would make that difficult. Still, she touched her son's back, drinking him in as she had before, before she and Trip left the house.

"Think the kid's gonna be traumatised by what's gonna happen in that house tonight."

"I have learned that Soval sleeps and does not wake until he is hungry. I doubt he will even notice."

Trip chuckled, "Lucky kid."

"Agreed."

* * *

Hope the pairings satisfied everyone, and no, we're not quite done yet. We still need to find out who gets custody after all. lol

Night's Darkness


	17. Chapter 17

Ok, I think we're on the homestretch now, probably only a couple more chapters for this fic. There is a sequel planned though, if anyone's interested.

Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 17**

Shran stirred as his alarm started blaring at him. With a groan, he smacked it silent and rolled over, pressing against a warm, strong body. The skin was smooth and soft against his cheek and he knew the scent at once.

"Ngh!" groaned Telev as he woke up, his arms snaking around Shran's waist. Shran grinned to himself as he nuzzled into Telev's neck, inhaling his scent, while his antennas tickled his jaw. Telev let out a giggle and opened his eyes. "Stop it! No fair, I'm still half asleep."

"So am I. So it's perfectly fair." Shran smirked against Telev's skin.

"Ugh." Telev arched his back, trying to squirm away, but Shran held him tight. "You're mean."

"And you're like a child in the morning."

"Then you shouldn't be cuddling me. It's not appropriate."

"Oh Telev!" Shran laughed, half disgusted, half amused by his lover's twisted little mind. Telev grinned at him as Shran looked at his face. He was bleary-eyed and tussled-haired. In short, he was beautiful. Telev had a classical, anhydrous beauty that made him irresistible, although he was one hundred percent male. Shran couldn't resist kissing him. Telev hook an arm around his neck and held him close, kissing him with the same tender ferociousness that he had last night.

Then the baby monitor blared with Soval's cry. Shran broke the kiss to look at the device and sighed, resting his brow against Telev's.

"Looks like the day has begun."

"Indeed. You'd better see to him."

Shran nodded and brushed his antennas over Telev's face before getting up and pulling on a pair of trousers. Then he went into the playroom where he'd set up a cradle-nest of fur and silk, like any Andorian baby would sleep in. Soval was whining, but his cries had died down as soon as the door had opened. Shran scooped him up and held him to his chest, nuzzling the top of the baby's head.

"Good morning. Are we hungry?"

Soval let out a noise that sounded like an affirmative and reached up to his father's face. Shran smiled as he went into the kitchen and fixed up a bottle. Then he sat in one of the seats by the counter and fed Soval. Soval wrapped his hands around the bottle and Shran smiled down at him. Telev came up behind him and put his arms around Shran's middle, resting his chin on Shran's shoulder.

"He looks happy."

"He does, doesn't he." Shran smiled at Telev before looking back down at the baby in his arms. Then his smile fell a little. "What if I lose him?"

"What?"

"What if T'Pol takes him with her? I'll only get to see him every now and then."

"Your father was always away with the Guard. You didn't seem to be too upset by it."

"He took leave for his children's first year, doing a desk job so he could come home and be with us. He went back into space when I turned two. Telev, it's this time that matters so much. Everyday he'll change, learn more, become more of the person he will be. I could miss that."

"Well then make sure you don't. Keep him here."

"How? I couldn't take him from T'Pol either. We're at an impasse."

Telev sighed and then kissed Shran's cheek, smiling at him. "One of the amazing things about you Thy'lek, is you always come up with something when you have to. Trust yourself."

"I'll try." Shran sighed.

The comm. went off, louder than it needed to be. Shran quickly passed Soval to Telev who didn't bat an antenna at this and rushed to answer it.

"Shran here."

"Commander Shran, this is Lieutenant Glarak."

"Yes?"

"You are to report to Imperial headquarters at 1300 hours, on the dot."

"For what?"

"I am not at liberty to disclose that information. All will be explained when you arrive."

"Understood."

"Good. Glarak out." The comm. went dead.

"As friendly as the rest of those PADD pushers in the Imperial Headquarters. Why would anyone want a job like that?"

"To be with their families." smiled Shran, walking back to Telev. "I think he likes you." he chuckled, seeing that Soval was holding onto Telev's (actually his) robe.

"Everyone likes me." smirked Telev.

"This is true enough." Shran scooped his antennas against Telev's, "Even Lissiel likes you, and she's not easily impressed."

"Says you Thy'lek!" said Lissiel as she came into the kitchen. Shran eyed his sister for a moment,

"You know Lissiel you have impeccable timing."

"Don't I just?" smirked his sister as she got herself a glass of water.

"So… have fun with pink-skin?"

"Hm, he needs a few lessons, but he's got great potential. I think he'll be one of the longer lasting ones."

"Good to know." Shran said, grimacing.

"How about you two?"

"Great as always."

"Hm, so I heard." Lissiel's smirk widened.

"So did we. And again. And again, again, again, again and again three more times- did you get any sleep last night?"

"About an hour." Lissiel shrugged.

"Ah!"

Lissiel laughed and lowered her voice in a conspiratorial whisper, "Did you hear grandpapa and grandmamma. They always make such a racket when they mate."

"I know, but Old Man and Lady were worse, I mean, the whole 'Yip, yip!' thing Lady does is just so…" Shran burst out laughing. Telev shook his head.

"I have to say Ghee's growling is far worse."

"I know, but 'yip, yip!'? It's such a stupid sound."

"True."

The three of them chuckled to themselves but fell quiet as Narion and Aresa came out. Aresa's skin was glowing and Narion had a stupid grin on his face, their arms around each other.

"I think a good night was had by all."

"Me too."

"Good morning children." crowed Ghee, emerging from the spare room, three vivid bruises on his neck and a proud smirk on his face.

"Morning Ghee." they chorused.

"Where's pink-skin Lissiel?"

"Still asleep."

"Wore him out?" grinned Telev.

"So it would seem." Lissiel grinned.

Soval finished his bottle and Shran took him back to burp him. When he let out a belch, he giggled and clapped his hands. Shran tickled him under the chin, making him giggle even more.

"Was someone on the comm. Thy'lek?"

"Yes, I have to go to Imperial Headquarters for some reason."

"Maybe they want to inquire about Soval."

"Maybe, I doubt they'd bother with such a thing at Headquarters though. They'd just send someone."

"Possibly, but the Vulcans are our allies now, and Soval is the first child of our two bloods. They might take a personal interest in him."

"My son will not be a mascot for anything! Not even peace." snapped Shran, narrowing his eyes.

"None of you might be given a choice." sighed Narion. "I know the Guard."

"So do I! I've been in it over thirty years. I tell you if they try to turn my son into some sort of political symbol I'll have them!" Shran's face told everyone he wasn't kidding. Ghee changed the subject.

"When did Senkrad get in? Must have been late, I didn't hear him."

"Neither did I." said Lissiel.

"I didn't hear him either."

Shran furrowed his brow and went to Senkrad's room. He poked his head in and then retracted it, frowning.

"He's not there."

"Really?"

"Really. He didn't come home."

"Well that's not like him."

"What's not like who?" asked Archer, coming out of Lissiel's bedroom looking bleary-eyed and very rumpled. Shran grinned to himself before saying,

"Sen. He didn't come home."

"Senkrad's a grown man, he'll be fine."

"I'm sure he is, I'm just wondering where he could be."

"Maybe he went climbing."

"At night? Even he's not that crazy."

"You think climbing in the dark is crazy, but not when the cliff is melting?"

"At least you can see what you're doing in a heatwave."

The door opened and Senkrad walked in humming to himself. Shran stared at his brother, then at his sister and then said, in a low voice, "T'Pol and Trip." and looked at the door. No one else came in and everyone stared at him. Shran shrugged, "It was worth a shot."

"Where have you been Senkrad?"

"Just walking around."

"All night?"

"Yes. Did I miss anything?"

Lissiel and Archer shared a look, as did Shran and Telev and then as one they said, "No!"

One of Senkrad's antennas poked forwards, then he said, "Fair enough. I'm hungry. What's for breakfast?"

"I haven't started making it yet." said Shran.

"Well, start! I'm hungry."

"What if I don't feel like doing it?"

"Then I'll dye your hair pink again!"

Shran darted into the kitchen with a curse. Archer grimaced.

"I can't picture that."

"I'll get you one." said Lissiel, sliding out of her seat and walking over to a self in the main room and pulling down a thick leather bound book.

"Lissiel don't you dare!" snapped Shran, looking mortified. Lissiel ignored him as she sat down again and opened the book, flicking through the pages.

"Ah! Here it is." she said and let Archer look over her shoulder. Archer stared at and then let out a snort.

"Love the look Shran! What were you going for? Punk rocker?"

There was a light thump as Shran hit his head against the counter a few times. Then he straightened up and walked over, snatching the book out of Lissiel's hands.

"I'll just put this away." he said, sounding very annoyed. He stomped into his bedroom and then returned short one embarrassing book and then said in a light voice, "Lissiel, do you remember when you shaved all your hair off. I think there's a few pictures, why don't I just go get them." He edged his way towards the shelves. Lissiel was out of her seat in a flash, tackling him and knocking them both to the ground.

"You do that Bug and I'll make sure you and Telev can never have fun again!" she snarled, a hand around Shran's neck and shaking him while she rested atop him. Shran grunted and knocked her off, rolling over so he was pushing her face into the floor. Lissiel thrashed against his grip and flipped him over her shoulder.

"Children! We're all starving over here. Lissiel, kindly allow Thy'lek to fix us breakfast." said Aresa, watching them with an amused expression. Archer looked alarmed. Shran grunted and got to his feet, stepping on Lissiel's back to reach the kitchen. Lissiel hissed and jumped to her feet, charging towards Shran. Senkrad and Telev jumped in her way, Telev holding Soval secure in one arm. Soval giggled at the commotion.

"Peace Lissiel! You can beat him up later."

"Not like she could if she tried." sneered Shran.

"I'm a woman! I could beat you up without breaking a sweat."

"I'm a Guardsman, I've had years of special training."

"Enough the both of you, are you fifteen or over fifty?"

"I'm just fifty grandpapa." said Shran in a very false-innocent voice.

"Oh!" Th'nack threw his hands in the air and slumped against his wife in defeat. Ghee chuckled.

There was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it!" Senkrad ran to the door and opened it. "Jhamel!"

Shran hissed as he cut himself with the knife in surprise. Lissiel's eyes widened.

Jhamel stood outside the door, her usual serene smile on her face, dressed in an elegant lilac dress, a gauzy thing surrounding her shoulders and jaw, like a fence, like she'd worn before. Her smile widened a little and she inclined her head to Senkrad.

"Hello Senkrad. You left your jacket at my apartment. I thought I would return it before I went to the talks with the ambassador of the Andorian people." Jhamel held out Senkrad's jacket. Senkrad's cheeks flushed and he threw his family an embarrassed look as he took it.

"Thank you very much Jhamel."

"You're welcome Senkrad. Once again I extend my invitation to come and see me whenever you wish. I enjoyed talking with you."

"Erm… yes. I enjoyed talking to you too. I shall most definitely take you up on your offer."

Jhamel's smile widened. "Good, I'm glad."

"Good morning Jhamel." said Shran, coming to join his brother.

"Hello Shran. It's nice to hear your voice again. I haven't heard it in some time."

"I've been busy I'm afraid. But perhaps we could get together for a dinner soon. My brother could come with us." Shran's grin was wicked and Senkrad's eyes were huge as he stared at his brother.

"That would be lovely. Is it true what I have heard about the sudden arrival of a son for you Shran?"

"Yes, it is true. I'll tell you all soon Jhamel, but right now I'm afraid I have to make dinner for ten people, not including myself. Would you like to join us?"

"Thank you, but I'm afraid I have to go."

"Hello Jhamel, it's nice to see you again." called Archer, feeling he ought to greet her.

"Captain Archer, what are you doing here at such an early hour."

"Recovering from a lesson in Andorian mating habits courtesy of my sister." said Shran with a grin. Jhamel giggled and shook her head a little.

"Well, perhaps we too can arrange to meet Captain. I would love to hear of what you've seen out in space."

"I'd be glad to." said Archer, smiling at the young woman, who he admired greatly for her bravery.

"I really must go. Goodbye." Jhamel turned and walked away, with that refined, elegant grace of the Aenar. Shran closed the door and then turned to Senkrad with a grin.

"So that's where you were. Spirits Senkrad you waste no time!"

"Nothing like that happened. I just bumped into her while I was walking and we started talking and since we were both enjoying the conversation so much we went back to her apartment to continue talking. I swear! That's all we did. Talk."

"With your mouths?" asked Telev.

"Yes with- no! Not with our mouths like that, oh- leave me alone!" Senkrad stuffed his arms across his chest and pouted. Shran laughed and hugged his brother for a moment, then pulling away and walking back into the kitchen.

* * *

Shran was early for his meeting with whoever it was he was supposed to meet, dressed in his usual Imperial uniform. Soval was clinging to his front, sucking on his fist, while his other hand held him to Shran. For extra safety Shran had used another length of silk to keep him from falling. The Guard rarely objected to such things and since Shran had an idea that this meeting would be about Soval, he had wanted to bring him along.

The Imperial Headquarters had once served as a home for the Imperial Family on this part of the planet. This meant that it was covered in carvings cut into the white marble that made up the whole building and silken tapestries, paintings and other forms of art. Most of the rooms were large, but there were smaller ones for smaller meetings. However this was the place for the grandest, most important meetings that were held by the Imperial Guard.

It was for this reason that Shran's stomach wasn't making friends with his breakfast. He could admit to being nervous. Whoever he was about to face was important if it was happening here. It could even be the Lord High General of the Imperial Guard. Shran had met him twice and each time had been terrifying. The man was a giant, figuratively as well as literally. His presence made most soldiers break out in a sweat. Shran was a little harder to affect than most soldiers, but even he couldn't help but feel nervous about him.

Walking into the huge lobby, he went to the desk and gave his name.

"You're to go to the main conference room. The Council shall see you there."

"The Council?" Shran's voice cracked.

"Yes." the woman at the desk said, not changing her bored expression. "They'll be waiting for you."

"Erm… right."

Shran wished he hadn't eaten at all. He was about to speak to the _Council_? The council was comprised of nothing but the highest-ranking officers of the Guard, the leaders of the Imperial Guard. And he was supposed to walk into that room without a clue as to why he was there?!

Shran wondered if he should have left Soval at home. Oh well, too late now.

When he got to the door of the main conference room he didn't hesitate. He just knocked and waited to be summoned.

"Come!" called a strong male voice. Shran took a deep breath and strode in, trying to look confident and proper.

Twelve imposing Andorians sat on one side of a long, slightly curved table. Each had a monitor and wore a severe expression. In the very centre was the Lord High General. There was no seat to take on the other side. Shran walked smartly to stand before the table, right in front of the Lord High General and saluted sharply.

"Commander Shran reporting as ordered sirs?"

"At ease Commander." said the Lord High General. Shran assumed the military stance and relaxed a little. It didn't sound like he was in any sort of trouble. He noticed several eyes flick to Soval with curiosity, but no one looked disapproving that he was there. "First allow me to congratulate you on your child. I must admit I didn't believe the rumours were true."

"Thank you sir. I must admit I'd say was the most surprised of all." said Shran. A ripple of amusement passed through the twelve.

"I'm sure you were." The Lord High General paused and studied Shran for a moment. Shran stared back, refusing to look away. Then the Lord High General steepled his fingers and regarded Shran over them. "Commander, you've been on mandatory planet-side recovery for how long now?"

"Half a year. To be specific seven months, ten days."

"And how do you feel you have coped with the loss of your ship?"

Something cold seemed to slide down Shran's back. Something was up. The Lord High General wasn't one for pleasantries. Still, he answered the question honestly.

"I believe I have coped well. It has been difficult, but I have begun to move on."

"Good." The General regarded him for a further moment. Shran did his best to stay still. "Commander… times are changing."

"Sir?"

"The Vulcans, the Tellerites, they are now our allies. Our enemies have dwindled."

"Yessir."

"I am aware that most of those facts can be attributed to you. It was you who urged us to open peace talks with the Vulcans and it was you who, with honour and integrity, prevented war with the Tellerites."

"I did it for the benefit of Andoria."

"Yes, we know you did." The Lord High General fell silent. A female general stood up.

"Commander, in regards to the destruction of your warship, the Kumari. We have interviewed all the survivors, as well as yourself, and we have also spoken with various officers whom you have served with in previous years. Our review of what happened the day the Kumari was destroyed is now complete."

It took a lot of self-control to keep his eyes from popping out of his head. As it was his shoulders tensed. "I see."

This was what this was all about?! This sentencing wasn't supposed to happen until his period of mandatory planet-side recuperation had been complete. They were half a year early. Shran's heart was beating so hard and fast it was a hum.

"After taking into account that the ship which fired upon you was only stopped after great effort and the sabotage by the pilot, and that you had not been anticipating such an attack by what appeared to be a Tellerite ship, and the statements of your crew that detail your actions, we can conclude that the destruction of the warship Kumari was not caused by lack of actions on your part and that you did all you could to preserve both it and the ship. Therefore we will not be delivering a punishment upon you."

Shran saluted the council, "Thank you General."

The woman nodded. Another female general looked murderous. Shran hid a smirk.

'_Sorry General Timaul. You won't get to see me beheaded today.'_

"Now that that has been dealt with we can get to the real matter at hand." said the Lord High General.

'_There's more? I just came close to having a heart attack and you want to discuss something else?' _Shran said none of this out loud, only nodded his head. He glanced at his son, relieved to see that Soval was asleep.

"Commander, you've served us for 32 years this year, correct?"

"Yes sir."

"You've been one of our best officers, in war." The last two words rang a little through the room. Shran wondered where this was going.

"Thank you sir. I only did what I could to protect my planet and people."

"Much of your missions are such sensitive information over half your file has to be restricted to the twelve people sitting before you. You and your team were our best weapon against our enemies."

"Thank you sir. We were proud to do it to defend our people." Even to Shran the words were starting to sound mechanical. That was because every time he said it he mentally added, _"We were also crazy enough to do your dirty work."_

"Quite." The Lord High General regarded him, once again sizing him up. "However, would you be one of our best in peace?"

"How do you mean General?"

"I mean, would you be as effective a peacekeeper as you were a solider at war?"

"I would do my best. If peace is good for Andoria, then I would maintain it as best I could."

"And do you think peace is good for Andoria? You have permission to speak freely."

Shran sighed and narrowed his eyes in thought for a moment. "Yes. I believe peace is good for Andoria. Andoria has been fighting since we were invaded by the Orions. I believe Andoria needs rest, needs peace, for the sake of her people. Children should grow up without fearing their planet, their homes will be taken from them. Families should be able to stay together."

"You speak from personal experience? You grew up in wartime, as we all did, and you have lost two close family members to war."

"Yes, I speak from experience, but also from truth." Shran hesitated before speaking again. "I also think that we are in danger of loosing sight of the point of war. The true point of it is not for honour or personal gain, nor is it for the sheer sake of war. If we loose sight of that we will loose sight of part of what it means to be Andorian."

"Well said. So, Commander, would you agree to do whatever you thought would ensure peace? Work alongside once-enemies even?"

"Yessir, so long as they proved themselves trustworthy. I would not believe that because a document was signed we were ensured peace. I would need the once-enemy to prove themselves, as we would have to prove ourselves to them no doubt."

"No doubt. Very well then Commander, we have a new assignment for you, which take place effective immediately."

"Sir?" Shran's antennas twitched.

"Is something wrong Commander?" The Lord High General's antennas reared in warning.

"It's just… I still have half a year left of mandatory planet-side recovery."

"We are aware of that. However if you can pass a psychiatric test, then you will be declared fit for duty again."

"I see sir." Shran felt a foreboding in the back of his mind. Now what did they want him to do? Shran hoped it wasn't anything underhanded. He would obey of course, but he was no longer interested in underhanded tactics.

"First, we will congratulate you because we have agreed to promote you to the rank of Captain, which is required for this new assignment."

Shran was floored. "I… thank you sir."

"I know it seems unorthodox to promote you, but you have served us well, and, if it wasn't for the fact that we were loathed to lose you, we would have reassigned you to the role of ambassador."

'_Thank the spirits you didn't.'_

"Now, along with this promotion, you are being given a new command. It is also… unorthodox, seeing as it already has a commanding officer."

"Has he been promoted sir?"

"No. He is remaining in command, and you will be joining him."

"I'm to command a ship that already has a commanding officer?" Shran frowned in confusion.

"Actually, by the end of today, this single ship will have three commanding officers of equal rank. This is why we selected you. You've worked with these officers before. Together you will command the ship as a whole."

_'That's not unorthodox, that's just insane!'_

"I see sir. For how long will this assignment be?"

"A year."

"A year? But-"

"Yes Captain?"

Shran held his tongue and shook his head. The Lord High General looked at his monitor, and pressed a button. The large viewscreen behind him switched on. There was a ship in the foreground. Shran's mouth fell open in shock. The Lord High General pointed to it.

"This is your new ship Captain. I'm certain you will bring all the fine qualities of Andoria to it."

"Y-y-yes sir…"

Shran gaped at the ship, unable to look away. Then he thought rather wryly,

'_Pink-skin's not going to like this.'_ as he stared up at Enterprise orbiting Andoria.

* * *

Reviews are very encouraging (feeling neglected :-( due to lack of reviews)

Night's Darkness


	18. Chapter 18

Omg! Is this a vision I see before me? Or am I actually on the final chapter of Broken Family? Nope! Not a vision. I am actually finished this fic and shall soon be taking up the sequel. Details below for anyone who's interested.

Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 18**

Archer stared out the window of his ready room, contemplating the madness of what he'd just been told.

_(Flashback)_

"Admiral, I don't quite understand, are you reassigning me?"

"No Captain, we're not."

"But you just said Enterprise will have a new Captain."

"Yes, in fact it will have two new captains as well as yourself. The three of you will work together for a year and prove that you can work together."

"If I may say this is… unorthodox." Archer wanted to say Insane.

"I am aware of that, however this is the agreed upon arrangement. Effective immediately, Enterprise now has three commanding officers."

"And just how are we supposed to work?"

"You must work together, agreeing on all things. However, if one of you disagrees with the other two, the crew is obligated to obey the two over the one."

"And may I ask who these new Captains are?"

"Of course. Your new co-workers will be Captain T'Pol and Captain Shran."

Archer's eyes bugged out and he had to fight a bubble of laughter, which may or may not have been hysterical. "T'Pol and Shran?"

"Yes Captain, is there a problem?"

'_Aside from the fact that the three of us will probably never agree on anything, that Shran and T'Pol are trying to share a child, and that Shran and I almost always end up trying to kill each other when we see each other? Nope! No problem.'_

"No sir… I just can't quite get my head around this."

"I understand that this will be a huge change in the chain of command, but I believe it will work. The point of this assignment is for you three to prove that these three species can work together for an Earth year –Andorian and Vulcan years are a significant bit longer- running a ship. If you can prove that, then we believe there is hope for further co-operation between us."

"Why Shran and T'Pol?"

"You've been able to work well together before, and Shran is the Andorians' best representative for inter-species co-operation, which is incredible given his record. T'Pol the same, although she will be representing the Vulcan people, not Starfleet from now on, just as Shran will be representing the Andorians."

P'Jem flashed through Archer's mind. He had a really bad feeling about this.

_(End Flashback)_

The bad feeling had not gone away now that he'd had an hour to contemplate it. In his head, Archer knew this plan wouldn't work. No matter how hard the three of them tried, something would happen to ruin this.

The door chimed.

"Come in."

The door slid open and T'Pol walked in, Soval in her arms, followed by Shran, who looked like he was still reeling from the announcement. Archer turned to face them, regarding them both with new eyes. No longer was T'Pol his First Officer and friend, no longer was Shran his friend/enemy/ally. Now they were both his co-captains of what had been **his** ship for over four years.

"So…" Archer tried to form words, but failed.

"This is insane." Shran summarised the situation quite well.

"Yeah. It is."

"It is unorthodox." agreed T'Pol. Shran shook his head.

"About the only good thing out of this as I can see, is that this way, neither of us has to loose out on time with Soval." Shran threw the baby a look.

"That is a benefit." agreed T'Pol.

"But, spirits! I have to wear that damn uniform. The only uniform I've worn since I left school is the Imperial uniform. How can I wear that Starfleet uniform when I'm still supposed to be representing my own people?"

"Ambassador Soval did not say to me to wear a different uniform to what I wear currently."

"Of course he would, Vulcan or not he's still male." said Shran in a faux-undertone, throwing T'Pol a once over glance before smirking at Archer. Archer smiled a little at the joke. T'Pol threw the Andorian a narrow eyed look. Shran ignored it in favour of saying, "So pink-skin, where's the encouraging, yet sanctimonious speech you always seem to have ready made for times like these?" Archer narrowed his eyes. Shran shrugged, smirking.

"I can't encourage something I'm not sure about." said Archer, feeling no need to hide his opinion. "Quite frankly, if we got through a month without killing each other, I would consider this mission a success, but a year? Every time we meet things go wrong."

"I think that's more you than me." said Shran, shrugging again, "Although to be fair… I don't have the best record either… oh we are very dead indeed."

"I hardly doubt we will suffer any worse than we have before."

"That's hardly a comfort from what I've heard." said Shran, shaking his head.

"Is your contribution to this ship's command going to be providing much needed sarcasm?" asked T'Pol, raising an eyebrow at the Andorian. Shran smirked even wider,

"It's what I did on the Kumari." There was the faintest tremor in his voice as he named his lost ship, but it was there and it reminded Archer of something.

"Don't you have half a year left?"

"Of Mandatory plant-side recovery? Yes, but the Imperial Guard has decided to overlook that in favour of starting this assignment. Apparently my sanity is less important than this. I just need to pass a psychiatric evaluation."

"What if you don't?"

Shran narrowed his eyes in anger at the suggestion that he wasn't well, and said, "Then I'm sure I'll fit in well on this ship."

Archer let the barb slide, knowing that Shran was trying to cover his wounded pride. T'Pol steered the conversation away from that topic,

"What exactly will we be expected to do?"

"The Imperial Council gave me permission to introduce Humans and Vulcans to allies of Andoria, ones neither species has met before due to the Zenar line agreement."

"The what?"

"It's in the agreement made over a hundred years ago, part of which concerned Weytahn. The line was drawn through space, to keep the two species apart."

"I remember that, the Vulcans referred to it as the Kiri-kin-tha line." said T'Pol. "It was a line drawn through space, and both sides had to stay on their side of the line. Crossing over would have been considered an act of war." At this point she gave Shran a scolding look, and Shran gave her a cheeky smile. "Paan Mokar was on the Vulcan side of the line."

"So what? It was over 150 years old, and required a severe rewrite. You can't deny things are better now than they were before."

"I suppose that is true."

"So… this line, any planets on the Vulcan side were only accessible to the Vulcans but not the Andorians? And vice versa?"

"Correct. However, if a species from one side crossed the line that was not an issue. The line was designed to restrict ourselves, not anyone else."

"It's interesting to note that Earth is practically directly on the line. If the line had been drawn slightly different, Andorians might have been Earth's first contact."

"Now that would have been interesting… for reference I mean." Archer added quickly when T'Pol gave him a look. "Just to see the difference." T'Pol arched her eyebrow at him. Shran cleared his throat,

"In any case, not many species have actually crossed over the line, mainly out of respect towards us and the fact that they didn't really need to. Enterprise, from what I know, has only ever explored on the Vulcan side of the line, although the Expanse was out of reach of the line, so whether that counts as crossing or not I don't know."

"What kinds of species are on the Andorian side?"

"The Betazoids for one, they're very near the edge of the line, like Earth, which is ironic when you consider what they look like."

"What do they look like?"

"Why don't you wait and see pink-skin? There's also the Caxtonians, and if its all the same to you, I'd rather we not speak with them."

"Why not?"

"Lets just say… after an encounter with the Caxtonians, a very, very, **very** long shower will be your highest priority and you'll smell for days."

"Are they hostile?"

"No… just awkward. They aren't humanoid… I don't really know what to describe them as. There are other species of course, each as interesting and… weird as the last."

"You consider other species… weird?"

"They think that about us and each other." Shran looked between the two, "Oh come now, you can't honestly say that each species you've met, no matter who they are, the first word that comes to your mind is weird! Even each other, you can't say, that, even with all the respect and admiration and whatnot between you, you don't still think weird whenever they act so… alien to you." Shran shrugged when they just continued to stare at him, "Well deep down you think that way. Everyone does."

"So… no matter how much respect you have for a person, you will forever consider them… strange, purely because they are alien?"

"Pretty much… it's not a bad thing. My friends are weird, my sister is weirder still. It's a fact, not an insult, and I know they think I'm, weird, possibly with good reason so… it balances out."

"Are you drunk?" asked Archer at last. Shran smirked,

"Nope, just in a good mood despite how it's been made very clear that our three governments have lost their minds, because I expected to be dishonourably discharged from the Imperial Guard because of the loss of the Kumari. Instead I got promoted. On second thought perhaps it's a good thing my government's gone mad."

"I highly doubt they've lost their minds."

"Then how do you explain this insane idea."

"It is not so ridiculous once one considers the facts. According to Ambassador Soval, the point is to put us under more stress than necessary in order to see if we can work together despite it. If we can, then there is hope for further cooperation between our peoples."

"So… basically, if we mess this up… there's no hope for further cooperation and all the work we've done -**I've** done- will be for nothing?" asked Shran, his eyes slightly wide.

"Essentially yes."

Shran folded his arms in a stubborn way. "Well that's not happening –Get me a blue jumpsuit!"

Archer raised an eyebrow. "Sure you're not drunk?"

"Go to hell pink-skin!"

"No thanks." sneered Archer. T'Pol looked between them and felt the urge to pray. Soval giggled as he pulled on his antennas.

* * *

Trip starred at the three in shock. "I'm… I actually have no idea what to say."

"Me either." said Malcolm, shaking his head. "This is a hell of a change."

"We know, believe us, we know." said Archer as he stood before his senior officers, with Shran and T'Pol at his side. "But it's only for a year. After that… well… I don't know, but this is just for a year."

"Cap'n, I dunno, I mean… we're used to one commanding officer. Trying to obey three at once…"

"You won't necessarily be doing that Commander." said Shran, "Think of it this way, you'll have a science captain, T'Pol, a tactical captain, me, and Archer's a commanding captain. Each of us can be in control of our area of expertise, and work together from that stand point. Also, there is the rule that if two of us agree against another, you are bound to obey the two to the one." Shran looked around at them, "Look, I'm the stranger here, we all know it. I haven't been a part of this crew for four years like pink-skin and T'Pol, but I think we can make this work, if we try hard enough."

"I agree, this is an achievable thing… provided we make a conscious effort to work together properly." said T'Pol. "It might be hard at first, but I believe that we will become accustomed to it all."

"If we want to prove that our three peoples can work together, then we need to do this, and do it right." urged Archer.

"Wouldn't it make more sense for more than just the captains to be changed? Why not have Andorians and Vulcans as part of the crew?" asked Hoshi.

"That might happen at a later date, but for now, it's just the three of us."

Shran folded his arms, frowning in thought. "This won't be easy for any of us here, lets admit that right now. But the gains from it are huge. We could start off a chain reaction. Soon there might be whole crews compiled of the three species. The Tellerites might join in, we'll probably see more Denobulans… I mean this could be the best chance we have of achieving the Coalition since Terra Prime sabotaged the first attempt."

"I agree. This idea is quite… ingenious when you think about it." said Phlox, a wide smile on his face. "I, for one, look forward to it."

"It could be fun, and with Shran… _Captain_ Shran I mean, introducing us to new, friendly species, we'll finally get back to exploring." said Travis, grinning. Shran pulled a sheepish face,

"Friendly might be pushing it just a little Ensign, but I thank you for the vote of confidence. As for exploring, I'm willing to introduce you to our talking nebula, and show you the planets we've explored that I'm sure you'll find… amusing. Have you ever done ecology studies?"

"Ecology studies?"

"Take that as a no then. It's when you go to a planet and study the eco-system, learn about how each level of creature lives, the characteristics of the planet that define it from others, that sort of thing. Andorian Imperial Guardsmen do it as a kind of shore leave. Isn't that what your Starfleet is all about? Seeking out new life?"

"Yeah… sounds good." Archer smiled, suddenly feeling much more enthused. T'Pol looked intrigued as well. "I want to meet this so called, 'Talking Nebula'."

"It's really not much different from talking with a child really. Still, it can be interesting, provided you have enough patience."

T'Pol's eyebrow twitched and she threw Shran a look. Shran caught the look and narrowed his eyes. "Oh very funny."

"What is?" T'Pol's eyes twinkled.

Shran's eyes narrowed to slits and his antennas flicked back for a moment, before he reached out and took Soval out of T'Pol's arms, holding him to his chest. T'Pol narrowed her eyes now. Apparently Shran had chosen an apt punishment for her little insinuation.

"Anyway…" sighed Archer, "I know it's asking a lot, but… hey, it could be fun, if nothing else."

"If we run into people I know, we certainly won't be bored." said Shran, shrugging.

"Why do I believe you and feel a sense of dread?" asked Archer, looking at the Andorian. Shran smirked,

"You feel a sense of dread **after** you sleep with my sister? Pink-skin, you really need to hone your instincts."

Archer went a funny shade of pink, while Trip snorted behind his hand. When the engineer had gotten his humour under control he said,

"You know, this might not be so bad."

"Yes well… if you'll excuse me for the moment… I have to actually pass a test to have this assignment go through."

"Good luck." said Archer. Shran pulled a face,

"You just wished me luck with proving my sanity. I'm sorry to say I may need it. Imperial Psychiatric Tests are brutal. I'm going to have Telev get as much ale as possible."

"Well, I'm sure he'll be… good and ready for you." said Archer with a grimacing smirk. Shran smirked back,

"Oh, he knows well to be." The Andorian looked at his son, and then held him out to T'Pol, "Probably best if you take him tonight. Noises and all… Pink-skin, Lissiel will be expecting you. If you don't show up that's grounds for castration in her book so… I'd turn up. Not even light years will stand in my sister's way."

Shran grinned at Archer's bug-eyed look and then sauntered out of the mess.

Trip's grin widened, "Definitely doesn't sound too bad."

* * *

"Ugh… I hate those damn tests." grumbled Shran as he drained a glass of ale.

Telev smiled with amusement, sipping at his own, his mind clearly not on drink. "Was it as bad as you remembered?"

"Worse, this time they actually had to test me." Shran grimaced at Telev's questioning look. That was a classified topic he'd just brought up. "Never mind. Doesn't matter."

"If you say so…" Telev was frowning in confusion. Shran decided a change in subject was required.

"You do realise that we're of equal rank now, right?"

"Yes. I'm not an idiot."

"So… that means that you can't order me to do anything anymore."

Telev put on a nonplussed look, "I could order you around? Why am I only learning of this now?"

Shran grinned and fiddled with the glass in his hands as he lay on his silk and fur covered bed. He'd miss his bed when he went back into space. Enterprise wasn't exactly suited for Andorians.

"You should have realised, didn't you just say you aren't an idiot?"

"I doubt I could have ordered you to do anything you didn't want, even if I was a General and you were a lieutenant."

Shran chuckled and looked up at Telev, in whose lap his head was resting. "Ah... you're probably right."

"So... tomorrow you become a co-captain of Enterprise. I wish you luck and a tight control of your sanity."

"I thank you, although, when have I ever had that tight a grip on my sanity?"

"Hm... true." Telev began to stroke Shran's antennas, a soothing gesture that the lithe menace could turn into a seductive weapon in a split second. Shran sighed in contentment.

"I suppose it won't be too bad. I get along well enough with Humans, and T'Pol and I are... well we're... hm, what are we? I don't think there's a definition in Andorian for what we are."

"Friends who are trying to share a child?"

"Are we friends?"

"You tell me, I'm not Aenar that can read your mind."

"If you were an Aenar you wouldn't dare without my express permission."

"Fair point. But **my** point still stands."

"Well, I don't know if we're friends. I mean she's... a Vulcan."

"That is a negative fact."

"Then again, Vulcans aren't all bad."

"You sure you passed that test?"

Shran gave Telev's cheek a light slap, since it was the easiest part of him to reach at the moment. "They aren't. Most are, but a few aren't."

"I'll take your word for it." Telev shook his head and leaned back into the pillows. "I'm still not ready to accept them."

"What about Soval?"

"That's different. He's your son. That renders everything else moot."

"All right then." Shran turned his head so he was looking up at Telev's face. He noticed the funny look in his lovers eyes and the way his antennas were drooping. "Is something wrong?"

"No. I'm fine."

"Right. Try that line with someone who hasn't know you since you were fifteen." Shran sat up so he was looking straight into Telev's eyes. Telev tried to look away. Shran took hold of his chin and made Telev look him straight in the eyes. "What's wrong?"

"You were made captain. You have to go away now. Just when..." Telev sighed.

"Just when what?"

"Just when you and I... things keep stopping us from being together." The words tumbled out like an avalanche, powered by frustration. "Every time we try to be together... something stops us."

Shran sighed and stroked Telev's cheek with one fingertip. Then he leaned forward and bit down on Telev's lower lip, drawing blood. Telev growled and bit down on Shran's, harder. Shran pulled away after Telev had stopped sucking on his bleeding lower lip.

"I know. It's frustrating. But this time it's different."

"How?"

"Because I'm not going to try and be noble or whatever else I was trying to be when we parted however many times before. Telev... I want to make this last this time around. Now that we're not too young, or too insane and dangerous, or busy. Yes, I'm going to go away, but so are you."

"I know. I just thought we'd have more time together before we had to part." Telev looked sulky, a sweet look on his angelic features. Now Shran knew why Senkrad loved to get Telev to pose for him. Shran leaned forward again and brushed his antennas against Telev's, sending electric sparks up and down their spines.

"We'll get our time Telev. And if we don't... we'll make the time. Don't worry. I'm not letting you go this time without a fight, not if you're sure you want this, if you want me. Baby and all."

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life. Aside from the certainty that I'm in love with a complete maniac." Telev grinned like an imp. Shran narrowed his eyes playfully at him.

"Maniac? Oh, I'll give you maniac."

Reaching out Shran grabbed Telev and pushed him under him, biting down hard on his lip. Telev grunted and his antennas wrapped around Shran's, pulling at them. Shran chuckled to himself as he pulled away Telev's shirt, running his fingertips over Telev's chest, sending tingles through Telev's body. Telev arched his back with a groan and then grabbed Shran's head and kissed him hard. Shran doubted he'd be allowed any sleep tonight. Not that he'd planned to or anything.

* * *

Archer lay beside Lissiel, his fingers drawing random designs into the cerulean skin at her hip. Lissiel lay on her side, her long white blonde hair spread out around her. It was as if she'd stepped out of one of those Renaissance paintings of naked goddesses who only had their hair to cover them. At the moment her chocolate brown eyes were closed, her face relaxed in the aftermath of passion and her skin had a faint flush. Archer fancied he'd never seen such a beautiful creature in his life.

Lissiel opened her eyes and regarded Archer with such a serious look it surprised him.

"My brother will be joining your crew tomorrow."

"Yeah, we got the message."

"He shouldn't be going off the planet yet. He needs more time." said Lissiel, staring at the wall opposite her bed.

"He seems to be handling things ok, and he's a tough guy. I'm sure he'll be fine."

"Thy'lek will be the most experienced person on your crew Arc… Jon. He'll know the most people out there, he'll be the one who will know what do in most situations. He's been out there for thirty years."

"Yeah, I get that."

"I'm not done." Lissiel fixed Archer with a stern look. "My brother will be invaluable to you, to your mission. But… I want you to promise me you'll look out for him."

"Of course I-"

"No! You're not listening to me." Lissiel sat up, almost looming over Archer. "You must give me your word that you will make sure my brother will be safe, and not just physically. He's got allies out there, but he has just as many enemies, some of which know things about him that I'll never know. Things he wouldn't want anyone to know. This mission will be one of the first he'll be on without his three brothers in arms. Keval, Thon and Tholos. They've been together for most of the past thirty years. They depend on each other. Thy'lek will struggle to compensate for their absence. What I'm trying to say is… don't fall for my brother's mask of arrogance and confidence. I mean… my brother's a brat, and he's arrogant and sarcastic, he is all those things, but he's also vulnerable if you know how to tackle him, just like with anyone. So… look after him like you would for any one of your friends."

"Lissiel… your brother is a friend, one who, while he can drive me mad with his maddening arrogance and sarcasm, I would do whatever was necessary to defend, just as I know he'd do for me. We've got… an understanding of sorts."

Lissiel stared at Archer for a few moments and then relaxed back into the pillows. "Good. I just wanted to make sure things were clear."

"They are. I'll make sure he stays safe."

"He can be stupid sometimes. Try to keep him from doing anything stupid."

For some reason Archer had a sudden image in his head that he was like Captain Jack Sparrow from those old earth movies Pirates of the Caribbean and Shran was Will Turner. Will was clever and skilled in battle, but could be remarkably stupid when he wanted to be. Something told Archer Shran was much the same.

"At least this way Shran won't miss out on Soval's life and neither will T'Pol."

"Yes. That's a good thing I guess. Now, enough of that! Come here." Lissiel grabbed the back of Archer's head and pulled him down to meet her lips. Her mouth was like fire and her teeth punctured his lip again, drawing blood. Archer would have to get used to that.

Lissiel forced Archer onto his back and held him down while she raked her nails over his chest. Archer moaned and gripped her arms in a bruising hold. Lissiel chuckled,

"You're learning fast Jon, that's good. I'll look forward to the time we next see each other."

Archer grinned up at her, "Me too."

* * *

Trip and T'Pol lay in her bed, Trip's arms tight around T'Pol. They were both still clothed, but the closeness of their bodies was enough for them for now. Neither wished to make a mistake like in the Expanse.

"Gonna be a hell of a change, callin' you Cap'n."

"I believe it will be difficult to adjust to having Shran around all the time."

"Yeah, still, mightn't be too bad. Shran's always struck me as a good guy, when you're on the same side as him. When you're not, best to stay out of the way."

"Agreed. And he does seem to be… less angry than when we first met him."

"On P'Jem? Hell yeah! Compared to then he's a declawed kitten."

"I would not go that far."

Trip chuckled and nuzzled into T'Pol's hair a little. T'Pol closed her eyes, savouring the contact. The tranquil moment was broken by Soval starting awake in his crib and letting out a wail. T'Pol removed herself from Trip's arms and walked over to the crib. Bending down she picked Soval up and settled him into her arms, bouncing the baby a little and rubbing his back. Soval whimpered a little and then fell quite, resting his head on T'Pol's shoulder.

"You've really got the hang of that now." said Trip.

"It would seem so. All one needs is practise." T'Pol sat down on the bed, still rubbing Soval's back. Trip grinned at the baby and waggled his fingers at him as Soval stared at him over T'Pol's shoulder. Soval continued to stare at him. Perhaps he was wondering who Trip was and why wasn't his father there.

"It'll be good for him that he'll have both you and Shran around. Kid deserves both his parents. And of course, since he's here, the whole crew will fill the role of aunts and uncles."

"That is a very large extended family." T'Pol looked at Trip, her eyes twinkling at him. Trip grinned, propping himself up on one elbow.

"You can never have too big a family."

"That is a very Andorian sentiment." said T'Pol, as if she was scolding him. Trip grinned,

"Must have to limit my time around Shran if they've got such an influence on me."

"Indeed, it would not do for you to get into the habit of indulging in Andorian Ale every meal."

Trip chuckled then held out his hands, "Here, lemme hold him for a minute."

T'Pol passed Soval to Trip and Trip grinned down at the baby. Soval stared up at him with wide eyes, his left hand clutching his right foot. T'Pol went to Soval's crib and pulled out the stuffed Sehlat and pressed it into Soval's right hand. Soval looked at the toy and let out a noise of delight, kicking his free foot out. He shook the sehlat around and then lost his grip on it. A pout came onto his lips at the sudden loss. T'Pol retrieved it and gave it back to him. Soval shook it again and again he lost his grip. Trip chuckled as T'Pol retrieved it again, "He'll make a game of that now."

"Of what?"

"Of makin' you pick it up. Babies find it amusing for some reason to drop things again and again and force someone to keep picking it up."

"Why?"

"No idea. They just do."

Soval dropped the Sehlat again. T'Pol's eyebrow poked up and then she picked it up again. Soval laughed and stuck his fist in his mouth, while his free hand awaited his toy to be returned to him. T'Pol met Trip's eyes and knew she would not get away with not returning the toy. This could take some time. However, it was not unpleasant.

* * *

Archer had to fight a laugh as he observed T'Pol and Shran as they walked onto the bridge, both dressed in blue Starfleet jumpsuits. Shran was tugging on the sleeve of his and his nose was wrinkled in distaste, but he was keeping his opinion to himself. T'Pol seemed much more comfortable in hers. On the breast both of them were four pips, signifying their new status aboard the ship.

"Looking good you two." said Archer with a grin at Trip who was seated at the engineering consol. Shran narrowed his eyes and then sighed,

"I suppose it could be worse. I'm not sure how, but it could be worse."

Archer shook his head. "You got everything you need on board Shran? Are your quarters adequate?"

"Yes. My quarters will be fine, once I have a chance to organise them anyway and the engineering team has finished expanding it."

"Good. So… we ready to get this mission underway."

"No sense in putting it off." Shran shrugged. Archer smiled at the Andorian, not missing nor surprised to see the way his eyes were excited and his antennas were squirming on top of his head. What he was surprised to see was Soval clinging to the back of his father's new uniform when Shran turned away a little to look at T'Pol. The baby looked very content, snoozing there, his little antennas whirling around and his mouth puckered. He must have been dreaming of food.

"T'Pol?"

"I see no reason why we should not depart. We have received authorisation from Starfleet."

"Agreed." said Shran. The Andorian was already moving towards Malcolm and the tactical consol. T'Pol was standing by the science consol, where Lieutenant McCarthy was sitting in the Vulcan's old seat. Archer moved around the captain's chair and stood by Travis at the helm.

"Travis, take us out of orbit and set a course away from Andoria."

"Aye sir. Heading?"

Archer glanced at T'Pol who quirked an eyebrow at him and then at Shran, who smirked. Archer smiled,

"Surprise us Travis."

The young helmsman grinned and nodded, "Aye sir. Entering course. We're ready to go."

Archer glanced once more at his new co-captains. _'God help us all.'_ he thought wryly as he said,

"Engage."

* * *

Yup, it is indeed to be continued, title pending at the moment, but the plan is to write shorter (famous last words) fics about Enterprise and the new command system, and exploring space. (Basically, this fic was written to set up a Season 5 series for myself, with Shran on the ship, and a few spanners thrown into the works) God only knows when this will stop. Let me know if you're interested, and if you have any plot ideas I could work with, particularly for characters outside Shran and T'Pol.

Night's Darkness


End file.
